Mafia's Angel
by long live marshmallows
Summary: IN PROGRESS: After dying, Tsuna is reborn into another world where he isn't Decimo and all the Vongola Guardians are adults. Even so, he manages to encounter the mafia every way he turns! But one day, he's going to remember why he was reborn in the first place...and one by one, Guardians from his previous life will start showing up to help with an oncoming battle. Rated T.
1. So, I'm NOT Dead?

**Mafia's Angel**

 **Summary:** IN PROGRESS: AU. When Tsuna died, he wasn't expecting to see his dead Guardians Yamamoto and Chrome again. Apparently, he and his Guardians are all part of an organization that lives to make Earth a better place. Tsuna realizes that not only is something wrong with his memories, but Byakuran is going to send him down to Earth again, just in time to see everything go wrong. Rated T.

 **Alternative Summary:** IN PROGRESS: A dead Tsuna who's not so dead PLUS Yamamoto, Chrome, and Mukuro who are also not so dead PLUS Byakuran, who is an archangel EQUALS a hell of a confused Tsuna. Rated T. [mafia fights, reincarnation, MafiaAU, TYL!, memory loss, no pairings, no zombies, no vampires]

 **Timeline:** Not definite. You will see why soon.

 **A/N (Sept. 25, 2016):** Did the summaries ma _ke any_ sense at all? Yes? No? I'm really struggling with this one, guys.

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

Tsuna opened his eyes and stared at the orange sky above him. The light orange was as warm as the deep orange was dreamy. Sometimes it faded to white. He squinted and saw that he was looking at clouds. Tsuna sucked in the air like he would Nana's cooking.

Cool. Refreshing. Clean. Enticing.

There wasn't any wind. The only movement was from the air that cushioned his rise upward. _Am I dreaming? Because there is no way I could be flying this high in the sky unless Reborn kicked me up here. I'm not even in Dying Will Mode._

He bent forward as though he were about to sit up in bed and to his delight, he found himself sitting cross legged in the air.

Time seemed to be nonexistent in the sky as he stared at his surroundings. "This is really weird…" He snorted. If Reborn didn't enter his life, he was pretty sure that he would be panicking and screaming his head off about now. "My name is Sawada Tsunayoshi…forty five years old…My parents are Sawada Nana and Iemitsu," he said and nodded to himself. "I wouldn't be thinking of those details if this was a dream!"

Tsuna was fully dressed in a tailored black suit that looked like it had seen better days. The shoes he wore were in the same condition which unnerved him and struck a nerve of unease in him. "Where am I? No…where am I going?"

A bubble of panic rose to his lips when he remembered something else. He felt his chest. _I was shot. Not only me, but also…_ When he tried to remember what happened, his head began to hurt. He gritted his teeth and tried to access more of his memory. Who was he with?

He blanked out. He couldn't remember. He touched his head.

"My name…S…Sawada—" Another spike of pain slashed through his brain like a hot knife. "Re…born…tutor…Guardians…G-Gok…" He widened his eyes in dismay as he felt his memories trickling into a darkness he could not reach. He calmed down and narrowed his eyes. Whatever was happening, he was losing his memories from the most recent to the oldest. It must be an enemy family up to something new to ruin the Vongola.

"Not on your life. I worked too hard to give up my family now!" He closed his eyes to concentrate on bringing his life back into focus.

He met Gokudera Hayato in middle school. Tsuna smiled. That was an encounter they all loved to reminisce during rainy days.

Then there was Sasagawa Ryohei, Yamamoto Takeshi, Hibari Kyoya, Rokudo Mukuro, Chrome Dokuro, Lambo, Fuuta, I-Pin.

He began to recall names of his family and friends, acquaintances, places, and events. Tsuna let out a deep breath when he was sure that his memories were right where they belonged: with him.

Then he noticed that his body was descending. For how long, he didn't know. And where? Then something straight out of Mukuro's sick humour happened.

"Holy crap…" He yelped as he watched with his own eyes, his body turn into that of a teenager. He gave himself an anxious pat and twisted his body as much as he could. He stretched and wiggled. Yes, he was definitely not a grown man anymore. He was more like a boy.

Tsuna's feet touched the ground and he spread his arms to regain his balance. The mist floated just above the soft ground was an easily missed presence. He looked up from the drifting mist to feel that a soft breeze was blowing into his face.

"Where am I—eh?" He stopped talking when he realized that he spoke in his fourteen-year-old voice.

What. The. Hell.

"You're finally home," a melodic voice said. Tsuna whirled and saw someone standing behind him. He blinked. He was expecting someone he recognized, not a stranger wearing modern clothing. The young man, probably a teenager like him, had black hair with a baseball cap covering the top half of his face.

"You are…?" Tsuna said slowly. He looked familiar. The way he held himself was so…familiar.

"Hm," he said with a smirk. "You can call me Angel for now."

"Angel?"

"Yeah! You know…angels, heavenly places, hell and divine punishment?"

"But…why _am_ I here? Wait…heaven?"

"Oh dear," Angel said in a grim tone. "Did you forget your last memories already? It usually takes a few seconds after touchdown."

Tsuna shook his head. "I…I…no…I didn't. I was shot. And I died." His voice cracked at the end of the sentence. His hand went to his heart.

"I hope you remember your actual story about _here_ , though."

Tsuna's head snapped up. "What?"

"Oh? You don't?" The man covered his mouth as his shoulders moved in a laugh. He coughed twice and straightened. "You have the choice of either continuing down to the underworld or becoming an angel," he said.

Tsuna's jaw slackened. "An angel?"

"An angel," Angel confirmed.

"You're pulling my leg, aren't you?" Tsuna asked with narrowed eyes.

Angel stared at him. "O-Oi…you're pulling mine, aren't you? That introduction was a joke. It's for newbies."

Tsuna's eyebrows shot up. "New…bies…in…angel…what…?"

"What are _you_ getting at?" Angel demanded. "I was joking with you! The joke is over, Tsuna. You've been a Full Fledged for what, ages? Of course I was joking with the underworld-or-angel business."

 _"What?"_

Angel scratched his head. "And I thought your acting skills got better since you didn't even smile at me requesting you to call me Angel." He dropped his hand. "You…didn't actually forget me, did you?"

Tsuna replied slowly. "I'm sure I would have remembered you if I saw you before. I'm sorry, I don't know you. What's your actual name, if it's not Angel?"

He gave Tsuna a smile and took off his cap.

Tsuna's jaw dropped. "Yamamoto Takeshi!?" Tsuna took a step forward and examined Yamamoto from head to toe. It was the teenage replica of his friend.

"That's my name…" he stopped and bit his cheek. "Where do you remember that from?"

"You were my friend and Guardian? Uh…Mafia…"

"Mafia."

"Yes…?"

"I was in the Mafia?"

Tsuna looked warily at Yamamoto. "Yes…"

There was a moment of silence. "Cool! Now, let's talk and walk. You don't seem to have your angel memories back…you only have memories from Earth?"

"Takeshi…" Tsuna's expression saddened as he remembered the death of his Rain Guardian.

Yamamoto glanced at him as they walked down a path. They were still surrounded by the clouds, though now it looked like it designed to be extravagant, with many paths criss-crossing to lead to several different places. Despite their lack of whispering, their voices didn't carry.

"Maa, maa, Tsuna, don't mourn over me. I'm right beside you! This is like going to my own funeral," Yamamoto joked. "And it doesn't sound fun at all. Maybe we could help you understand what's going on since you haven't recovered your memories yet."

"Are you really an angel?"

Yamamoto grinned. "That's a really loose term. But yes, I am. Everyone here, including you, is an angel." He looked up. "There she is! I thought she might be here."

"I don't feel any different," Tsuna muttered to himself.

They reached a small platform and Tsuna stepped onto it with caution. The designs on the silver tiles were simple yet elegant swirls with slowly tightening rings on the pieces near the centre of the platform. Sitting on those tight swirls was a round table furnished with chairs that matched the floor's designs. When he and Tsuna approached the table, the platform grew to accommodate the additional two occupants.

The other angel sitting at the edge was a girl with purple coloured hair wearing a pale pink dress that reached her knees. Her feet were dangling off the side and they disappeared into the clouds. With a gulp, he imagined that if she lost her balance, she would fall to her death.

Then he blinked when something caught his eye. He stopped and stared at her back, where he was sure he saw something move. _Are those wings?_ Tsuna stared harder. Yes, they were. Protruding from her back, he saw gold-orange wings move with her every breath. As he watched, they began to become less transparent. Then they pulsed and faded. Another pulse. Another fade.

"Chrome, look who came to join us!"

Tsuna stiffened. _It can't be._ Even as he thought this, the girl turned around and revealed the face he hadn't seen in years. He felt tears on his cheeks and wiped them from his eyes so he could see her clearly. She was different now. She had both eyes, both purple and still large but her hair had lost the pineapple haircut. Instead she let it grow long, longer than he had ever seen it before. However...he noticed that she wore a small hair clip with a pineapple design woven in.

The wings disappeared and she stood with a startled expression. He was still frozen in place as she raced up to him and pressed her hands to his cheeks. "Boss." She paused and turned to Yamamoto. "I thought Boss wasn't supposed to join us until after one Earth day." She still had her soft voice, just as how Yamamoto still had his cheerful laugh.

 _"What is going on?"_

"Tsuna—"

Tsuna took a step away from them, away from their touch.

"Calm down!" Yamamoto made a grab for his arm but Tsuna took another step in retreat.

"You…and…Chrome…the two of you…the last time I saw you guys…I don't understand what's going on."

"We're going to explain, Boss," Chrome said with a worried look on her face. "Please, sit down."

Tsuna flicked his eyes from one ex-Guardian to the other. He nodded slowly and sat on one of the chairs available on the platform.

Yamamoto and Chrome took the other two. "Where should we start?" Yamamoto asked.

"The beginning," Tsuna said.

Yamamoto's grin grew wider. "Five centuries of on-call shifts is going to take a whole century to explain. I'll start with explaining some simple things to you."

Tsuna gave Yamamoto a weary look, knowing first hand how Yamamoto's explanations usually ended up.

"We're all part of an organization called the Elgan Order. Our mission is to make Earth a better place and to get rid of the most troublesome organizations that cause the most grief. To do that, we're assigned "missions" that will take a lifetime to finish. And I really mean a lifetime—we're born into a child that is destined for a certain future, like they might be in the right place at the right time sometime in the future. We become that human and live as that human. Are you with me so far, Tsuna?"

Tsuna took in a deep breath and let it out. "I—I think so. I'm surprised it makes sense, actually."

Yamamoto grinned. "I practiced really hard. Chrome helped." He continued his narrative. "From the moment we leave the Elgan Order, our memories— _all_ of our memories, are wiped clean. The life you lead will be one that will have a big impact on the future. In most cases, we're put into humans who will do more harm than good as they grow. This isn't always the case, since you might remember Vongola Decimo, who always had a pure heart and was willing to sacrifice himself for others. But in other universes, something might have happened differently—he could have gone dark. It is then that some of our angel memories resurface, to make us remember why we are there and what we should be doing. That usually helps get us back on track. Other than that, the person we're reborn as won't have any connection to the Elgan Order until they leave that world. In other words, die.

"Once our hearts stop beating, we return to the Elgan Order, which some of the more religious ones here call heaven and we forget our mortal life's memories while our memories as an angel return to us. If we really want to know what we did in our previous life, we could always look into the archives or ask someone about it."

Tsuna leaned back in his chair and swallowed. _Th-This is definitely crazy! But…I think I'm beginning to accept this._ "I—ahem…excuse me. Is there any chance that I could get something to drink?"

Yamamoto and Chrome exchanged glances. Chrome said, "You _could_ get a drink, but it won't do anything other than to satisfy your own thoughts. We do not need to eat or drink in order to survive up here, Boss."

"…Oh. I see. Takeshi, what was my case? My…mission?" Tsuna asked as a glass of water appeared in his hand.

 _"Our_ case," Yamamoto corrected. "We're a team. A family."

Tsuna mirrored Yamamoto's smile. They were a family, deeply bonded to one another even in death.

"For our mission, the case was that many of us reached our Five-Century Mark. It's a milestone for us and as a way to celebrate it, we were given one of the most difficult missions…probably not difficult, but one that will definitely have a huge impact on the world. We were to change the cruellest organization from the inside out, by being members of it— _top_ members."

Tsuna opened his mouth in a silent gasp and whispered, "The Vongola Family."

Chrome nodded. "Lambo was a bit off from receiving his Five-Century Mark so he was sent a lot later than the rest of us. I, being a few days late for the Mark, had to wait, which meant I ended up arriving a year after the rest of you."

"Unbelievable," Tsuna muttered.

Yamamoto frowned. "You really haven't regained your memories? And you still have the ones from Earth. I never heard of this happening to anyone in our group before. Not even Mukuro, who's the most messed up one of us all, with his experience of going through the seven hells and all."

Tsuna sat straighter. "Mukuro? Rokudo Mukuro? He—he was with me when I was shot! Where is he?"

"Oya, oya. The way how you were going on about remembering everything from your past life made me think that you didn't care about me. _Tsk tsk_ , how I wronged you, Tsunayoshi. Kufufufu…"

* * *

 **A/N:** Hello, new and old readers! This is LLM, the author is this very late story that should've been finished last summer. I hope you all enjoyed reading chapter 1! This is indeed AU, but canon elements will definitely be deeply embedded.

Please do tell me what you like and don't like about this and feel free to ask any questions. I haven't actually finished writing the entire story but I really wanted to know how this will be received.

Thanks for reading. I'll see you again soon (I hope)!

* * *

 _ **-LLM**_

 _ **Published 2015-09-25th**_


	2. Angelic Marshmallows

**Recap of last chapter...** Tsuna died and found himself in a place called the Elgan Order, where Yamamoto and Chrome explained to him that they were all angels who try to make Earth a better place by fixing the bad. His little group of friends are a team of angels that focus on the Mafia, which is why they were all born into the bodies of babies who would one day have a powerful influence in the Vongola. The reason for why they're explaining this is that Tsuna's memories of being an angel haven't come back to him...and he still has the memories of being Sawada Tsunayoshi, human, tenth boss of the Vongola Family. Speaking of which, Tsuna suddenly remembered that Mukuro had died alongside him!

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

Tsuna leaped to his feet and grabbed Mukuro. "You're here!"

The angel in question was in his twenties, wearing a knee-length black jacket and sporting long blue hair. Mukuro did his best to keep his eye roll to a minimum. "I did just say that I died. Now...can you let go of me?"

Tsuna dropped his hands and asked, "I thought this meant that we got new identities? Why are we still referring to each other with the names we had from Earth?"

"Kufufufu…how about we let Takeshi explain? He was doing pretty well before I came." Mukuro pulled up a chair which had appeared when an additional person stepped onto the platform.

Yamamoto shot him a smile. "The unique thing about the Five-Century Mark's mission is that we get to keep our true name for the longest duration of our life. Chrome didn't reach her Five-Century Mark when the mission was declared, so she didn't have her name since birth. As you know, she was referred to as Nagi before she met Mukuro. Lambo is an interesting case. It's weird that he actually ended up with his name when he was born."

Tsuna nodded his head slowly in understanding. _Eehh…if Reborn heard any of this, he will certainly flip! No…knowing him, he will just take it calmly. Or…shoot them all just to make sure that they aren't a figment of his imagination…yeah, that sounds like him…_ Tsuna sweatdropped. _Was Reborn just another guy in the Mafia? Takeshi hasn't mentioned his name at all, so he's probably not…an angel. If Reborn was an angel…_ Tsuna shivered. The mere thought was impossible on so many levels he couldn't believe that he thought of asking the question.

"That's basically our case, Tsuna. You were born into the body of the heir, I the Rain Guardian, with Mukuro and Chrome were born into the Mist Guardians' bodies."

"It truly is concerning that you don't have your angel memories," Mukuro said with a smile that didn't look at all concerned. "Something to ponder over the next time I am put under watch." He let out a chuckle.

"Don't," Chrome said quickly. "If you need to be under watch too often, they might resort to dropping you. A Fallen Angel loses everything."

Mukuro thumped her head. "Nothing like that will happen."

"Don't worry, Tsuna. I'm sure your memories will return soon," Yamamoto said reassuringly. "In the meantime, I think you're supposed to meet with the archangel…"

Tsuna's eyes widened. _"Eeehh?_ There's an archangel? Who is it?"

"It might be a bit awkward for you, since you don't remember him as the…uh… _archangel,_ Tsuna," Yamamoto laughed nervously. "Even I was surprised when I found out the role he played in the mission."

Mukuro's laugh was full of humour. "Oh, I want to go as well. I need to see Tsunayoshi's reaction! It has been ages since I've seen him look that shocked."

"We'll all go," Chrome said. "Should we walk?"

"I don't think Tsuna remembers any other way," said Yamamoto.

"What are you guys talking about?"

"We're talking about our wings. See?" Chrome showed Tsuna hers, which were the gold-orange colour he saw before. They were beautiful wings that looked as though they were transparent and on fire at the same time. She extended them until each of her wings were over four metres in length.

"We could use them here, but if we ever have to go to Earth for any reason, it will take immense powers to activate them. They will only appear when we are using our full power…think of when a phone heats up when it's being used for a long time."

"Amazing…" Tsuna said. _And strange._

"Kufufufu… I'm going to meet the rest of you at the top." Mukuro unfolded his own gold-orange wings and took off with a strong leap. He was in the air and gliding away before any of them could comment on the magnificent take off.

Yamamoto whistled. "It usually takes a while to get used to them again. He and Hayato are on a totally different level."

* * *

They strolled up the path and onto a cloud which elevated them to the highest level. The tiles they stepped onto were white with blue borders, which made an interesting match to the mist that pooled over their feet.

Though the atmosphere was the same as where Tsuna first landed, there was something that made him feel as though he was approaching something bigger than life and demanded his full attention.

As though he were prey and he scented a predator.

"We just have to go through these doors and we'll be in his audience chamber." Yamamoto pointed to a set of doors—a set of doors which Mukuro was leaning next to. To Tsuna's surprise, the doors were only few heads taller than Mukuro. They were a beautiful pair of doors with designs Tsuna recognized from the tiles, though in a larger and more intricate form. Silver lines bordered the frame and melted into the wall, erasing the edges of the door.

Mukuro smirked and pushed the doors open, stepping aside to give Tsuna the full view.

The inside looked no different than the outside, but he felt it when he stepped through. This room had an air of command, the sense of loyalty, and the need to obey the one in charge. Anyone who came in felt awe or fear. Tsuna felt his knees shake but he couldn't tell if it was good or bad.

"Yo," Yamamoto greeted the man—no, angel—who sat in front of a long white table. The man had white hair, a pale face, and a pure white jacket zipped all the way to his chin. The look was all too familiar.

 _"_ _Hiiee_ …Someone please wake me up from this nightmare." Tsuna was gobsmacked. "There's no way _Byakuran_ of all people is part of this—it has to be a nightmare. Or better yet, Reborn must be trying some kind of new torture device on me! Someone please wake me up!"

"Reborn?" Yamamoto looked incomprehensive. " _Oh,_ the hitman. Ahahaha!"

"This is reality, Boss," Chrome said.

"What's going on?" Byakuran asked with a smile. He propped his head on his left hand as he observed them from his seat. "Did Tsunayoshi not regain his memories yet?"

"How can you be an archangel?" Tsuna demanded. "You were—were—were so…. _evil_ at first!"

"About that…" Byakuran trailed off and glanced at the table. Then he gave them his full attention. "I suppose I should apologize—again. I forgot about the price an archangel pays. See here Tsunayoshi: I lost my memories, too. The price of an archangel going down to Earth is that we act as a catalyst for extreme change, whether we spark it ourselves or someone else does. In my case, it was our dear friend Shoichi. You remember him?"

Tsuna nodded but didn't look any more comforted. Though Byakuran had turned a new leaf and lives peacefully in Namimori as his neighbour, he still remembered the time he time travelled to the future and the ruins he saw there.

His hands curled into tight fists. When he spoke, it was through gritted teeth. "Byakuran… _why_ did you go down to Earth then!?"

Byakuran's playful eyes turned serious. "It was to test the Fifth-Century Marked of course."

Beside him, Tsuna heard his three companions suck in a breath. _Byakuran didn't tell them?_

"Why didn't you say anything before now?" Mukuro demanded. "I thought you just wanted to make our mission difficult!"

"I thought that it was best to make sure that Tsunayoshi, the one whom I faced as my greatest enemy, should hear the reason from me and not from his friends."

"All that destruction…was to… _test_ …us?" Tsuna asked, not fully comprehending.

Byakuran raised a finger and paused before speaking. "Hm…whatever resulted because of my presence was the test. It just so happened to be the destruction of a future. Don't worry. You all passed! I was very impressed with the outcome."

The frustration Tsuna felt was so strong he had to turn away from Byakuran. Thoughts ran through his mind quicker than he could think. Would he be feeling this way if he had properly forgotten everything from his previous life? Did he want to? Should he have let them go, or was there a reason, deep within him, that he should keep those memories close at hand?

"In any case—"

"Is it possible to see the rest of my friends who are still alive? To see how they are doing?"

Byakuran stared at him. "Come forward, Tsunayoshi. You may see them through here. But _never_ interrupt me again."

Tsuna gulped and nodded. He was part of the Elgan Order now and had to follow these rules.

They stepped forward and looked at the table that Byakuran was observing before they came in. There was half a foot of solid marble surrounding the middle, which looked like a pool of opaque water. He could see movement in it as he looked down. It gave him a slight sense of vertigo for a second as the water cleared.

"What is this?"

"It's my way of observing the world of humans. It's focused on the Vongola Family right now," Byakuran said. Tsuna watched Byakuran in his peripheral vision. He had noticed earlier that there was something off about him and now he knew what.

By now, the man should have finished half a bowl of marshmallows. The fact that there wasn't a single marshmallow in sight told him that this was definitely not the Byakuran he knew, despite their similar looks. Even the annoying _'nya~'_ that sometimes followed his sentences was gone. Tsuna shook his head inwardly and focused on the images in the water.

It suddenly hit him that he was going to see them grieving for their latest loss. He closed his eyes and steeled himself. Now he understood what his friends must have felt. Attending his own funeral, huh?

There they were…all of them were sitting together in the family's living room, where they found comfort in each other's company. Four of their number were gone.

Remaining were men, women, and children who mourned. Wives, husbands…children… Tsuna's heart ached.

"How can they ever get through this?" Tsuna asked.

Chrome said softly, "They'll get through this, like they always do. It's part of them."

"We can't always dwell in the past, Tsunayoshi," Byakuran said.

Yamamoto looked at the archangel. "That's something I would say. But when you say it…Byakuran, what do you have under that sleeve of yours?"

"Me?" Byakuran looked incredulous. "Nothing, of course."

"Kufufufu. Don't bother lying to us—we can see things dropping out of them."

Distracted by the sight and the yearning inside him to go and comfort them, Tsuna only caught bits and pieces of the conversation. "What?"

Byakuran shrugged. "You caught me. Tsunayoshi, I have assigned you another mission, my favourite angel."

Tsuna's friends pounced on those words like a mother bear would attack a fox.

"You can't. It hasn't even been a day!"

"There's still a problem with Boss' memories! We can't let him go back before understanding the problem, Byakuran!"

"Oya? If he's going, who's going to keep me entertained? We will all go with him."

Unfazed by their glares, Byakuran said, "This time, maybe not. It has been a while since any of you had a solo mission. Besides, a week has passed on Earth."

"That doesn't matter in the Elgan Order," Yamamoto snapped the same time Tsuna exclaimed.

"A week!? I couldn't have died that long ago!"

"A week," Byakuran repeated. "I'll give you two days to fix the memory problem. You're still going no matter what the results are."

Chrome gripped Tsuna's left hand in a death grip. "There are usually a few years in between missions."

"That's only because there was no reason to advance quicker," Byakuran said. "I feel that Tsunayoshi will be greatly needed in the coming years and we can't wait that long for a rebirth. He needs to prepare. Some of you—the stronger ones that I can spare will be joining him soon. But Tsunayoshi is the strongest of you all, so he is my first choice to go. Get ready."

This stopped their complaints. _Could it be that an archangel's "feeling" is the same as the Vongola Hyper Intuition? No one has ever questioned my judgement when I said "it's my intuition". Not even Reborn argues with me after those words._

That was the end of their meeting with the archangel. Tsuna gave the scene in the table one last glance. He could feel the mood shift as he recognized his heir standing in front of the group with Reborn next to her. That was the last thing he saw of his previous life before he plunged into his next one.

* * *

He spent the next two days with Yamamoto, Mukuro, and Chrome to familiarize himself with his surroundings. Yamamoto continued to hope that he would regain his memories of being an angel, but it didn't look like it would happen any time soon.

"I'm sorry, Takeshi," Tsuna said.

"Maa, maa, there's nothing to worry about!" Yamamoto waved a hand at him. "How about we go over your mission?"

Tsuna nodded. "But I won't have any memories of this once I'm reborn."

"You won't. But it's good to know beforehand anyway. Just so your gut will know what you're getting into."

Tsuna grinned. It sounded like any conversation he and Yamamoto would have back on Earth. Feeling the shift in the wind at his back, Tsuna reached behind him to touch the wings that appeared the day before. He didn't quite get the hang of using them for flying but they calmed him.

"I'm being born into a small family in Italy. A mother, a father, and a maternal grandfather, right?"

"Yeah. And somehow, you're going to be mixed into the Mafia for a second time." Yamamoto chuckled. "Don't you think you'd get tired of living the life of a Mafioso, twice in a row?"

Tsuna felt a sudden urge to pop into his new life right then and there…maybe he could see his other Guardians again even if they were adults… that thought vanished instantly. He was going into a parallel universe where they _weren't_ his Guardians, but _Vongola Decimo's_ Guardians. And none of them were angels in disguise.

"I'm supposed to help them change the Mafia again. There's been progress here and Byakuran wants me to help them…how?"

Yamamoto paused and sighed. He clasped a hand to Tsuna's shoulder. "I guess that's for us to find out."

* * *

Tsuna stood at the edge of the Elgan Order. Beyond was the sky, clouds, rain, storm, sun, mist, thunder…and the Vongola.

"Boss…it's time."

Tsuna turned to look at his friends one last time. Chrome gave him a light kiss on the cheek and Yamamoto gave him a bear hug while Mukuro smirked.

"Tsunayoshi, a boy at the bottom of the Mafia food chain. How will you climb the ladder?"

Tsuna's lips twitched into a smile. "We'll find out," he said, repeating Yamamoto's words. He leaned forward into his future and fell.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hi again! I hope you had an enjoyable week. If you didn't, I can sympathize with you.

I'll be updating this story monthly, at least until June. By then, we'll see what's what. If I miraculously finish this story by then, maybe I'll update weekly. If not, I might pause to continue writing since June coincides with the end of part one.

I have the actual dates that I'll be publishing things on my blog, so check it out. Link's on my profile. If I don't publish on the day I said I will, feel free to PM me since it probably just slipped my mind.

This should be the last long(ish?) A/N for this story unless something comes up. I'll see you all in November! Good night.

* * *

 _ **-LLM**_

 _ **Updated 2015-10-02nd**_

 _ **Edited 2015-10-18th**_


	3. A New Life

To clear up any confusion you might have…

1) Tsuna died and went back to the Elgan Order. But he still has memories of being Sawada Tsunayoshi (usually they would be wiped clean and his memories of being an angel would return to him)

2) When he arrives on Earth, he will not have any memories (which is normal for an angel)

Therefore, only a part of him is acting abnormal (refer to point #1).

3) The rest of the guardians are also angels, but Reborn is not.

…

What happened in the last chapter…

After explaining what the Elgan Order was and how angels went down to Earth to complete missions, Tsuna, Yamamoto, Chrome, and Mukuro visited the archangel who turned out to be Byakuran. Without giving Tsuna much of an apology or a chance to regain his angelic memories, Byakuran sends Tsuna back to Earth for another mission. Another mission, that is, with the Mafa in a parallel universe, where the Tenth Vongola and the Guardians aren't Tsuna friends. Actually, they don't know he exists at all.

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

 **~EO!~**

Leaning over the edge, Yamamoto and Chrome watched Tsuna take his first breath.

Yamamoto laughed. "I'm always surprised at the size of babies when they are first born!"

Chrome smiled. "He seems to be fine. I'm relieved."

"I wonder what Tsuna's reaction will be if he ever finds out about the little joke on his name," Yamamoto mused.

Chrome nudged him. "Shh, they're naming him!"

They leaned further out in anticipation.

 **~EO!~**

* * *

"Congratulations, it's a boy!" The nurse said with a beaming smile at the exhausted mother. The mother sighed in relief and tilted her head to her husband who sat beside her, mirroring her giddy smile.

"Then that means his name is Giotto," the father said with a chuckle. They had already decided on the names of the boy or girl that was to be their first child.

"Hello, Giotto," Tsuna's mother said to him when the nurse held out her son.

Tsuna was crying and crying and just wouldn't stop.

"Strong lungs, I would say," the doctor who oversaw the labour said with a laugh of her own.

* * *

 **Years Later...**

"Mama! Papa!" A four-year-old Tsuna rushed out of his playroom and crashed into his parents when he heard the door open.

"Giotto! We missed you!" His father dropped his brief case, lifted Tsuna into his arms, and tossed his son into the air. Tsuna shrieked and held on. His soft brown hair was a blur for several seconds while he was being tossed.

"Put him down," his mother said in a panic. "You'll drop him!" Father and son continued to laugh as they pranced into the spacious and baby-proofed living room. There were two couches facing each other with a large, thick carpet separating it. The wide screen television hung on the wall and another set of couches sat in front of it, along with a carpet table which was now covered with crayons and drawings. The fireplace was installed into the wall at another corner for a warm and cozy winter night.

"Jeez," Tsuna's mother said with a hand holding her brief case and a hand to her forehead. But she was smiling. "I forgot that I actually have two kids to worry about," she said.

"Welcome home," her father said. She turned to give him a hug. He was a tall man despite being eighty with white hair and beard.

"How was Giotto? I bet that little ball of energy ran you dry."

Tsuna's grandfather pulled back and scoffed. "Me? Not in a million years!" he declared.

Tsuna settled down in his father's lap and began to tell them about his day, including the scary dog next door that wouldn't stop barking at the mail man. He twiddled with his father's sleeve cuffs, buttoning and unbuttoning them.

"Papa! Where did you and mama go?" Tsuna asked and bounced. His parents were always going somewhere, but never with him. However, he forgave them easily since they always brought a few things back for him.

"For our trip this time…"

Tsuna listened closely as his father told him about their trip to London, a place he has never been to before.

"Did you see any dragons?" Tsuna asked, wide eyed. His parents shared an amused look. "Did you?" Tsuna asked again when they didn't answer.

"No, there weren't any dragons in the Prime Minister's home," his father replied gravely.

"I told you we shouldn't have told him we saw an albatross in Australia," Tsuna heard his mother say when she leaned toward his father.

"But that was the most interesting part of the trip!"

Tsuna frowned and looked at one then the other. So there were no dragons in London.

"Anyway," his father said with a sneaky smile. His mother rose, giving Tsuna a light kiss before leaving the room. Tsuna leaned to the side to see but his father blocked his view. "Nuh uh, Giotto. Close your eyes."

Tsuna giggled and did so, anxiously waiting to see what his parents were going to give him this time. Then he got confused when he heard his mother get something out of the fridge.

"What's mama doing?"

Something was set on the table and he heard the lights turn off. He sniffed as he smelled candles. He opened his mouth in a wide smile. There were candles.

He only smelled candles four times a year. His father removed his hands from Tsuna's eyes.

"Happy fourth birthday, Giotto!" the adults chorused. Tsuna laughed and clapped his hands with joy and surprise. So it was his birthday today!

* * *

His fourth year went as smoothly as any four year-old could have it. Tsuna didn't remember a lot from his fourth year since it was just play, play, sleep, eat, play, and sleep. His fifth years went down similar lines, though he had to go somewhere called "school".

But two years later, there was an interesting change to his childhood life. It was Saturday, the day he spent the morning with this father, had lunch, and went home. That day, something special happened: Tsuna met his first friend.

"Look, papa. There's another boy in the park," Tsuna said and tightened his hold on his hold on his father's hand. There was never another child in the park when they went.

"It's alright, Giotto," his father soothed. "You can play with him on the slides."

Tsuna was a bit sceptical but followed his father into the park. The boy looked to be about the same age as Tsuna and had blond hair. He wore a light jacket for the October weather and was sitting by himself on the swings. His feet barely touched the sand that he was looking at.

Tsuna looked around and saw no one else in the park. So the boy was alone?

"Look, you can play on the slide, Giotto."

Tsuna nodded and let go of his father's hand. He ran for the steps that led to the blue slide.

The boy at the swings heard them and raised his head. He watched the kid with brown hair slide down with a whooping laugh and run back up to do it again. _He looks like he's having fun,_ the boy thought with a small laugh. _And I'm not even supposed to be out the mansion._

He turned his head away quickly when Tsuna looked over to him.

Tsuna was smiling, energized by the fast ride down the slide. Now he looked shyly at the boy on the swings.

"Why don't the two of you play together?" Tsuna's father asked with a kind smile.

The boys looked at each other hesitantly. Tsuna slid down and approached the other boy.

"Ciao," the blond boy said when Tsuna just watched him with those big brown eyes.

"Ciao…I'm Giotto," Tsuna said and quickly turned to his father, who was smiling encouragingly. Under his smile, his father was worried for the blonde. Who came with him to the park?

"I'm…Donato…" Donato said his name slowly and hesitantly as if trying it out for the first time; he didn't usually introduce himself to people.

They were quiet for a few seconds. Then Tsuna took the first step. "Um…what are you sitting on?"

Tsuna's father, who was leaning back on the bench, slapped a hand to his face and groaned softly. He couldn't believe he didn't tell his son what a swing was and how you play on it. Maybe it had to do with his son's undying loyalty towards the slide and how he didn't show any interest in the other things in the park.

"It's…a swing. And you…swing," Donato said. It didn't look like the kid named Giotto understood his words. He demonstrated by kicking off to let the swing work its magic.

Tsuna's mouth opened in a huge O as he watched Donato "fly".

"Whoa…I want to try!"

"Okay. Get on," Donato said, pointing to the swing next to his. Tsuna stared at him again. "You don't know how to get on?"

Tsuna started to shake his head and stopped. "Yes I do!"

His father became alarmed when Tsuna started to climb onto a swing. "Giotto, be careful!" He rushed over to help his son into the seat and let out a sigh.

"Now what?" Tsuna asked Donato eagerly.

Donato smiled, happy to explain. "Move your legs."

Tsuna frowned and swung his legs. Nothing happened. He tried harder and had little to no results.

"No!" Tsuna said when his father tried to push his back. His father raised his eyebrows and stepped back.

It took a few more tries before Tsuna got the hang of it and began to sway. Half was the result of bouncing on the seat in frustration.

Donato found that he liked to teach Tsuna how to play on the things in the park and to see his reaction. "How about the seesaw?" Donato asked.

"Seesaw?"

Donato laughed at Tsuna's confusion. "Come on!"

By the time it was one o'clock, the two boys had gone on the swings, seesaw, swirly slide, monkey bars, and all the other things available to play on.

"Giotto, we have to go back," Tsuna's father said.

"Aw! Can't I stay a bit more?"

"No, we have to get home. Your mother will throw a fit if she doesn't get her share of cuddles soon."

Both boys looked disappointed. They were playing hide-out in the small castle.

"Bye," Tsuna said glumly to Donato.

Donato waved as Tsuna left the park. He sat back down and watched them round the corner.

"Donato, there you are!"

Donato turned to see a man running into the park. He wore a simple dress shirt and pants. He had black rimmed glasses and a thick beard. The man was just hanging up his phone and putting it in his pocket as he approached.

"Oh. Hi, Romario!" Donato waved to his father's friend and subordinate. As he did so, he unbalanced himself.

"Donato!"

"Whoa—ah!" He grabbed hold of the bar next to him and saved himself from falling. "Phew…"

Romario sighed and leaned against the slide, looking up at Donato.

"Be more careful please! Have you been here the whole morning?"

Donato pouted. "I just wanted to come out for a bit."

"You should have told me."

"I wanted to be alone!"

"But that's dangerous. What would happen if Boss found out you were kidnapped, or worse?"

"They'd go for big sis first anyway, right? Besides, Nothing happened the last few days I've been here," Donato retorted and shut his mouth. _I didn't mean to tell him that. Oops._

Romario's eyes widened. _"You sneaked out the entire week?"_ His voice was nearing a shout.

Donato laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head. "Ah…yeah…But I usually came back before anyone realised I was gone."

"Oh, Donato. Give an old man a rest. I don't think your father was ever this sneaky…" _Then again, Boss was too busy tripping over his own two feet,_ Romario thought.

"We have to get back now! We've been looking for you everywhere."

"Does dad know?"

Romario shook his head. "You know how much of a worry wart he is."

Donato smiled along with Romario as they headed to the car hovering by the side of the street. "Sorry for sneaking out."

"It's alright. I'm impressed you managed to find a way out of the mansion in the first place."

"You should be more impressed by how many secret tunnels there are in the Cavallone mansion, old man! Oh, and I met this other kid today. His name is Giotto."

"Giotto, eh?" Romario chuckled. "Such a common name."

* * *

 **~EO!~**

"Kufufufu…what is our dear Tsunayoshi doing now?" Mukuro asked Yamamoto.

"He just met Dino's son."

Mukuro raised his eyebrows and landed. "Who is Dino?" Since Tsuna was the only one to keep the memories of his old life, everyone else had to go through a quick crash course about the Vongola and everyone related to them.

"You know, he's the tenth Cavallone boss and Vongola's ally."

"Oya? That was quick." Mukuro chuckled again. "It's still boring. Can't they speed things up?"

Chrome laughed. "But he is such an adorable little boy," she said.

Mukuro smirked. "I can't disagree."

"What are you doing here?" Yamamoto asked. "You said you wouldn't look in on Tsuna until he's at least thirteen."

Mukuro sighed and sat down on the ledge of the Elgan Order. "Rumours are spreading that there is unrest among the Fallen Angels. They're causing a ruckus."

This made Yamamoto and Chrome freeze.

"Well, it's quenched. No need to worry. Kufufufufu…"

Yamamoto and Chrome heaved out a sigh of relief. "Maa, maa, Mukuro…don't scare us like that."

 **~EO!~**

* * *

 **Two years later (age 8)…**

Tsuna's grandfather came down from the third floor and approached his grandson's room. Once he was in front of it, the door slid open automatically. He saw that Tsuna was tossing in his bed.

…

" _They're in here."_

" _How much longer?"_

"… _Not much…you'd best go in." The doctor glanced down at the child and his expression became one of extreme grief. He patted the boy's head but said nothing. Tsuna didn't understand._

 _He entered his parents' room and saw that they were side by side, barely moving._ " _Mom? Dad?" Tsuna approached them so that he was standing between the two beds._

" _Giotto?" The room was quiet save for their breathing._

" _What happened?" Tsuna asked. "I thought you were coming home today?"_

 _His father grimaced. "We were, but this truck hit us dead on without even stopping." He coughed and cleared his throat._

" _Listen, Giotto."_

" _Mom?"_

 _She swallowed and said something. Tsuna leaned in so his ear was directly over her mouth. "What did you say?"_

 _She grabbed onto his arm tightly. Her lips moved carefully. Tsuna's eyes widened as she let go. He turned so that they were nose to nose. "O-Okay, but…"_

 _She nodded and closed her eyes. "M-Mom?"_

 _Her eyes stayed closed. And the room suddenly felt as cold as ice._

" _MOM!"_

…

"Giotto!"

He woke up. "Aah…nonno!"

"Were you having a bad dream?"

Tsuna shook his head quickly. "Um…nonno, I…" he said, desperately casting about his mind for something to say. "I just remembered that I was supposed to meet Donato today so we can go on an adventure!" Tsuna said when he looked at the digital clock. It was three in the afternoon.

"…Alright, you can go. Also tell him that we're moving houses."

"Moving? Why are we moving?"

His grandfather sighed and sat on a chair. "This house is too big for just two people. It's a waste of space and money, so we're going to move into some place smaller."

His parents had died a year ago in a car crash on their way home from their office and now he was in the care of his grandfather.

Tsuna reacted after five seconds. "I don't want to move!" He was born and raised in this house! There's no way he's leaving it.

"We will move whether you like it or not."

"No! We can't move!" Tsuna and his grandfather glared at each other for a minute.

"You don't understand," the old man said through gritted teeth. "We _have_ to move. I don't expect you to understand financial problems, but we _will_ have some if we continue to live in this…this half-mansion-half-house."

" _No!"_ Tsuna said and crossed his legs and arms. He stared defiantly at his grandfather.

"Why don't… _now_ what?" The phone was ringing. They all waited for the automated voice to announce the caller.

" _Simone, attorney…Simone, attorney…."_ It began to give them the phone number even as Tsuna's grandfather reached to pick up the phone on Tsuna's table.

"Yes? What is it?"

There was a pause.

"What do you mean, all of their money is missing?" he shouted into the phone. Tsuna jolted at the sudden outburst before he stilled. "Every last penny? That's impossible!"

Another pause. It seemed like they were talking about some kind of money problem, whatever that meant.

 _Can money just go missing?_ Tsuna thought. Then his jaw dropped when the old man began to swear into the phone. He hung up and began to pace the room. He followed his grandfather with his eyes, wondering what was going on. His grandfather finally sat down and did his best to explain what the problem was, even though Tsuna couldn't possibly understand.

"Here's the thing. Do you remember when I told you that your mom and dad left some things to us?" He received a nod. "A large portion of that is…missing. Probably all of it."

"How can it be missing?"

"We suspect…we think…that someone stole it. And there is not a trace of it left. And we need that to survive."

"There is always more, right? We can get more of what they left us."

"We can't get more without a job. Good thing I already used some of it to pay the bills," Tsuna heard his grandfather mutter. He cleared his throat. "I still have some left in my own account. We can go by that and my own shop, if we spend things carefully. I know you don't want to move, but we really have no choice. We will move next week."

"Where are we moving to?" Tsuna asked. He was resigned to his grandfather's decision.

"…Some distance away. You can give Donato our new address if you want. Here, I'll write it out for you."

* * *

"You're late!" Donato shouted when he spotted Tsuna making his way to the park. He flew off the swing which he was using to help locate his friend.

"I know. Nonno kept me in the house a bit longer to tell me something."

"Was it anything important?"

Tsuna wrinkled his face. "He says that we're moving away to somewhere pretty far."

Donato blinked. "Are you joking? Why are you moving?"

Tsuna kicked a stone. "He said that we have to save money, so we're moving."

The boys didn't understand how the two were related to each other but hey, it's an adult thing. They never made sense.

"What's this? An address?" Donato looked at the scrap piece of paper Tsuna just handed him.

"Yeah, it's for our new house."

Donato put the paper safely into a pocket. "Then we should make today the best day ever!"

"Yeah!" Tsuna turned around and screamed.

"What is it?" Donato asked urgently and turned as well.

"D-Dog! _He's coming AFTER ME!"_ Tsuna screamed and ran in a circle as the golden retriever ran after him while barking in greeting.

Donato scratched his head. "I don't think you're supposed to run when a dog is chasing you, Giotto… Hey…where are you…?"

"Don't just stand there—do something!" Tsuna cried out and ran towards his friend.

Donato's eyes went wide. "D-Don't come to me!" He ran.

* * *

Three days later, Tsuna was in the kitchen getting a box of juice when he heard his grandfather talking to someone else.

"Signore, if you would just calm down…"

"I will _not_ calm down!"

So there was someone in the house. Tsuna put his juice box back into the fridge and listened.

"It will be hard—"

"I will take care of my own grandchild. I can do it myself!"

"Sir—"

"Get out of my house! _Out! Out at once!"_

He heard hurried footsteps and the door slamming.

* * *

They moved into their new apartment on Monday. The metal door to their apartment was faulty and needed a nice, solid kick from his grandfather to slide open.

The apartment was small and had only two bedrooms, one kitchen with the living room attached, and one bathroom. All the boxes filled with things they owned lined the wall.

"I want to go home…I don't like this place."

"I know you don't like it, but we have to stay here. We can't go home anymore."

Tsuna bit his lip worriedly as he looked around. "What about school?"

His grandfather sat down on the couch and faced him. "Giotto…you are very bright. You will continue to go to school, you understand? Don't worry about a thing." He sighed and looked around. "At least we won't be pestered by those social workers any more. They don't usually stick their noses into people's business in this neighbourhood."

"What's wrong with this neighbourhood?" Tsuna asked.

"Never mind."

Tsuna started school the next day. It was a small neighbourhood school and he made his way to his classroom on shaking legs. His teacher was a male. When he introduced himself, the teacher nodded and showed him to his seat and cubby hole.

"Here, you can sit on the carpet with everyone else," he said as more kids came in.

Tsuna sat down slowly by the wall as he watched everyone nervously. The kids in the class seemed friendly enough. They were all screaming, shouting, and laughing. Then they noticed him, the new kid.

"We've never seen you before."

"I-I'm new here," Tsuna said.

"He is the new student," the teacher said with a smile. "Let's introduce ourselves. Giotto can get to know us better as we spend more time together."

They sat down in a circle and one by one, they told Tsuna their names and something they liked.

The day was alright, Tsuna decided. But he had a feeling that his classmates didn't really like him.

* * *

When it was home time, Tsuna waited for his grandfather outside. "Hey, you're the new kid!" Tsuna whirled and looked up. It looked like he was cornered by three students who were were at least two years older than him.

Tsuna almost whimpered. "Wh-What is it?"

"You just moved in around here, didn't you?"

"Y-Yeah…?" Tsuna said unsurely. There weren't any teachers in sight. They were behind the tree in the playground where teachers never really bothered to look.

"You don't look like one of us!"

"What?"

One of them poked at Tsuna's shoulder. "Your clothes stink of rich kids."

"Rich kids?" Tsuna said with puzzlement. He looked down. The sweater he wore was his favourite one and he didn't wear it often. His parents had gotten it for him on one of their trips.

"Yeah," one of them sneered. "So what are you doing _here?_ You don't belong here. Get out!"

"B-But," Tsuna said right before they pushed him to the ground.

That was how his grandfather found him—lying on the grassy ground, bag askew and clothes muddied.

"Giotto!"

"Uuuuhhh…"

His grandfather knelt with a worried look on his face. Tsuna didn't seem to be injured anywhere except for a small gash on his arm. But boy, he was muddy.

"What happened?"

Tsuna stood up carefully. "Some big kids came and pushed me down. They called me a rich kid," he said.

His grandfather sighed. He didn't think that would happen. "Let's go home, Giotto…"

As they walked, Tsuna began to worry. His mother's last words to him were to take care of himself and his grandfather. And he intended to keep that promise. _But how am I supposed to take care of everyone if I get hurt so easily?_

They walked into the building and pressed the button to call for the elevator. Once they were in, Tsuna said clearly, "Level five!"

" _Fifth floor…"_ the automated voice said.

"Please hold the elevator!"

Tsuna looked up and quickly pressed the button to keep the elevator doors open.

A woman with grocery bags in each hand rushed in, breathless. "Thanks, kid!"

"Y-You're welcome," Tsuna said.

"Level seven!" the woman called out.

" _One moment, please. Fifth floor…going up."_

The doors closed and the woman leaned against the wall. She had black wavy hair and had the most interesting silver eyes. Her ears were pierced and on them were a pair of purple earrings shaped like cats. "So why are you so muddy?" she demanded teasingly.

Tsuna opened and closed his mouth. "I just tripped and fell in the mud…"

"Hmmm..."

Tsuna's grandfather chuckled at Tsuna's nervousness.

"I'm Adelina Hayate. It's nice to meet you."

Tsuna looked up at her in surprise. The name sounded odd to his ears. _Come to think of it, she looks kind of different,_ Tsuna thought.

"Oh—my family is originally from Japan but my parents moved here before I was born." Then she said something in a foreign language.

Tsuna stared at her looking clueless.

She smiled. "That was Japanese, the language spoken by my people."

"It sounds pretty," Tsuna said quietly and the woman smiled.

"That's so kind of you."

"Giotto, you should introduce yourself."

Tsuna nodded hastily and began the introductions. He even went as far as to introduce his grandfather as well. After she smiled at him, he looked down in embarrassment. The elevator sure was slow in this building. If this was his parent's office building, they would have reached their floor in seconds.

He felt odd. Unsettled? No. More like…Tsuna didn't know what he was feeling.

Finally, the elevator opened up to the fifth floor. Tsuna's grandfather pulled his hand. "This is our floor. _Ciao!"_ he called back to the woman who waved at them cheerfully.

"I'm in room 708 if you ever need me!"

* * *

 **A/N:** By the way, Adelina Hayate's not related to Hayato Gokudera. Their names are completely different, after all.

Again, feel free to ask questions.

 ** _Updated 2015-11-07th_**

* * *

 _ **-LLM**_


	4. My Neighbourhood

_Previously…_

Tsuna is born into a family of three: mother, father, and grandfather. Sadly, his parents die in an accident and it's up to his grandfather to raise him with the little money they have. In their new shabby apartment in a shady part of town, they meet a woman named Adelina Hayate, who is not related to any canon character.

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

Tsuna woke violently for the third time that week. His eyes darted to all corners of his room as he pulled his covers over his nose.

 _What was that?_ He didn't remember anything from the nightmare, but the feeling of fear was sticking to his sweat-soaked skin. He gulped and dug himself deeper under his covers. On impulse, he decided to look for his grandfather. Tsuna slowly got out of bed and walked down the hallway. He glanced at the dark living room. Was it just him, or did the sofa and flower pot look like unmoving creatures, waiting for him to turn his back so they could pounce?

He scurried to his grandfather's room and he pushed the door open. "Nonno?"

The room was dark, with only a soft shade of moonlight seeping through the window.

Tsuna walked in and climbed onto his grandfather's bed. "Nonno…"

"Giotto, what is it?"

"I'm scared!"

His grandfather yawned and sat up. He patted Tsuna's head and asked, "What are you scared of, huh? There's nothing here that can hurt you."

Tsuna wasn't convinced. The monsters in his mind and in the living room could prove that statement wrong. "I woke up and I was scared!"

"Ah…you had a nightmare, Giotto. Do you remember what it was about?" He received a shake of the head. "Well then you should have nothing to fear."

Tsuna sniffed again. "I wish…I wish…"

His grandfather smoothed his hair. "Me, too, Giotto. I wish your parents were still alive. But we'll get through this without them."

"How?"

"By staying alive," his grandfather said firmly. He shook Tsuna's shoulders gently. "I know that you can survive anything, Giotto. You have to believe that. You're made for better things. You _will_ live."

* * *

Two days later, his grandfather came to him with a question that he wasn't expecting.

"Would you like to learn Japanese?"

Tsuna gasped as milk went down his trachea. He coughed and wheezed slightly as he tried to clear the passage. He looked at his grandfather, who was just setting down a plate of eggs and sitting down in front of him.

"What?" Tsuna wiped his mouth. "Japanese? Why do you want me to learn a language for a city that I'll never go to?"

"Japan is a country, not a city. It will be helpful to know a second language."

"But…but…" Tsuna stuttered. This was just too sudden.

"Calm down, Giotto. I just saw Adeline—the woman we met in the elevator—she wanted practice with tutoring children, so I suggested you."

"Hiiie! You want me to learn from a lady we just met? We don't even know her!"

His grandfather looked at the clock. "It's time for you to go to school. You can think about it and tell me your answer when I come to pick you up."

"But I can walk home alone," Tsuna protested. His grandfather only shook his head.

Tsuna let himself be pulled along by his grandfather since he was busy thinking about Japan and their language. He thought that it was a nice language after hearing the lady speak in the elevator. But if he was being honest with himself, he never expected to learn the language or to hear about it again after that one time.

"Now, don't pick any fights with anyone," his grandfather told him when they neared the school.

"I don't," Tsuna protested. He was wearing a simple blue t-shirt and shorts today, hoping, again, that he wouldn't stand out anymore.

"Be good now. I'll see you later."

"Bye, nonno!"

* * *

That afternoon, Tsuna discovered that if he hid during lunchtime, the bullies couldn't find him. Changing what he wore didn't erase the first impression his fellow classmates had of him. But he wasn't going to stop trying.

Tsuna was halfway done eating his sandwich when he smelled something.

"Here, the money," someone said. He froze.

"Finally."

He heard something that sounded like a paper bag being handed over to someone else. Then more funny smelling stuff in the air invaded his sense of smell. He scrunched up their noses in distaste and pinched his nostrils shut.

"Remember, the meeting is tomorrow night. Then the big night is the night after. Got that? We're going to raid until there's nothing left. Burn it to the ground."

"Yeah, I know. And make sure you watch out for _her._ "

The voices faded. When the air around him seemed to be free of the smoke, Tsuna breathed in deeply and coughed.

 _What was that?_ Tsuna shrugged. He had no idea what they were talking about. All he knew was that if people were going to talk here, he didn't want to eat near them.

* * *

This time, Tsuna's grandfather was there waiting for him before the last bell of the day even rang. "Giotto, I'm over here," he shouted.

Tsuna ran to him and held onto his hand tightly, looking for the bullies who ambushed him before.

"So have you thought over what we talked about this morning? About letting Adelina become your tutor?"

"I guess it will be okay," Tsuna said slowly.

His grandfather nodded. "She agreed to teach you for free, if you are willing to go to her apartment every day after school from three to six. You could try it for a few days. If you don't like it, you can quit."

Something his grandfather said about quitting had him straightening.

"I won't quit!" Tsuna said before he could stop himself. _What?! Where did that come from?_

"Good, good," his grandfather chuckled and ruffled his hair. "I'll go with you to her apartment. She wanted to meet you today and see if you were up to the lessons."

When they entered their building and were waiting for the elevator, Tsuna asked, "Nonno, how long am I going to have the lessons for?"

"Three to six. Three hours."

"No," Tsuna said. "How _long."_

"How long? I just told you… _oh_. I don't know. She said a year, maybe two."

Tsuna's eyes popped out. "A year!"

"Er…yes."

They got off the seventh floor and knocked on the eighth door to the right. _"Yes—? Who—s it?"_ The voice came from the faulty intercom.

"It's me, with Giotto," his grandfather said with a cough.

They heard the door unlock and the woman stepped out to greet them as the door slid into the wall, with a little help from her foot.

Tsuna looked at her. She had black hair, a small face, and looked very tall. She wore a simple shirt and pants, white and black respectively. Her hair was tied back and she wore frameless glasses in front of blue eyes.

"Hi, it's nice to see you again." She knelt down so the was on the same level as Tsuna.

"Hi," he said shyly.

"I'll leave him in your care then," their grandfather said. "Just come back down when you're finished, alright, Giotto? But call me first."

"Okay."

"Come in," Adelina said. Tsuna entered and the door slid shut. "Do you want some cookies?"

He nodded enthusiastically. It had been a long time since he had cookies. She guided him to the living room, where there was a plate of chocolate chip cookies and two small mugs of hot chocolate.

"So, why don't you tell me about yourself?"

Tsuna frowned suspiciously. She noticed this and smiled slightly. "Okay, maybe I should introduce myself to you first," she said and sat across from them. "My name is Adelina Hayate. I went to a college nearby—Clam College—it's affiliated with a university. I've been home tutoring since I graduated. So, it's been a total of five years. Other than that, I don't do a lot. I _love_ to teach."

Tsuna's expression softened as she told them about herself. She was very honest and if Tsuna was truthful, he was starting to like her.

"Your turn," she said.

Tsuna began. "I'm Giotto. I'm eight and _three quarters_ years old. We used to live somewhere else but had to move away after mom and dad died," he said.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Adelina said softly. "I'm glad that you want to learn more. I'm sure your parents would have been happy, too."

Tsuna looked at the woman curiously. "What can you teach me?" he asked.

"Well, for starters…"

* * *

The next three hours went by quickly for Tsuna. He absorbed what Adelina said like a sponge. He was awed by the language. It sounded like home to his ears, though he didn't know why.

"Thank you," he said happily to her when they were finished. "It was fun!"

Adelina looked relieved. _I was worried I won't be able to get a connection with him. I'm glad it worked,_ she thought.

"See you tomorrow!" Tsuna shouted and waved until the elevators whisked him away.

* * *

The next month was like clockwork. He would go to school, come home after a rough bout with some kids on the streets, and rush upstairs. He would try to hide the bruises and scratches he collected but his grandfather always noticed. Then he would go through three hours of learning a second language with Adelina.

Adelina was proud to call him her student even if it wasn't going to appear on paper. He was so energetic and eager to learn more.

Tsuna continued to soak up everything he was taught. The sound of every word was so familiar to him. It was almost nostalgic, but that was impossible.

"How about I test you?" Adelina asked cheerfully one afternoon.

"Test?" Tsuna said.

"I've taught you most of what children your age would know and it has just been a month. I'm a bit worried that I might be going too fast with you but you've been doing so well…I just couldn't help myself."

Tsuna didn't face this with enthusiasm. He didn't think he liked tests of any form, especially since…he tilted his head. _Since…?_

"I'll be happy if you can answer anything I say from now on in Japanese," Adelina said. "Starting now." Tsuna let the thought slip away and concentrated on the present.

After thirty minutes, it was clear that he knew what they were talking about. There were just a few things Adelina corrected now and again.

She sat back, staring at him. He stared back, waiting for her to speak. "You're amazing," she said under her breath. _It's as if he was born there,_ she thought, studying the boy. _Maybe his parents brought him to Japan when he was a child. Perhaps he was exposed to the culture, or has heard the language for a while and would have possible started speaking it, before they moved back? How long were they there for? It…can't be possible for him to learn it quickly as a baby. He has a good memory. I can be sure of that. Maybe he just has a hidden talent. Maybe he'll grow up to be a genius._ She laughed silently at her last thought.

"Great. Excellent! You did very well," she said and applauded. "Just a bit of polishing up and we can start something new!"

"New?" Tsuna wondered. "What's that?"

"How do you feel about being able to read and write?"

* * *

 **~EO!~**

Chrome dangled her legs over the ledge as she watched Tsuna sit in apartment 708. Her lips were pressed together and her wings were twitching every few minutes out of worry.

 _He lost his parents so soon…I feel sorry for him. It must be hard._

"Chrome?" She looked over her slim shoulders and saw Yamamoto and Mukuro approaching. She smiled and stood.

"You've been checking in on Tsunayoshi once a day now."

She said softly, "Every day, another week passes by for him. I'm worried about him being down there so soon after the last mission…"

Yamamoto smiled reassuringly. "It's been…" He silently counted the human years on his fingers. "Almost nine years since he started. Stop worrying, Chrome. Nothing bad will happen to him!"

"Do you think his ease in learning Japanese might be because his memories weren't erased properly?" she asked carefully.

Yamamoto's smile froze. His eyes darted around quickly before speaking. "Someone might hear you, Chrome. It might start a panic with the other angels."

"I'm only worried about a friend," Chrome said in protest.

"Kufufufu…Chrome, what are you trying to say about Tsunayoshi?" Mukuro had no worries about talking at all.

"He's learning way too fast for a normal child," she whispered and looked back down. "Just three weeks after the lessons began, he was able to understand almost everything said to him in Japanese. Don't tell me that this is normal for a boy who has never even heard a _word_ of Japanese before he met that woman."

They had nothing to say to this.

"Okay, I'll admit it. I felt that too," Yamamoto said. "I hoped that Tsuna might have been reborn as a genius. He was, after all, in his first life, a genius before he became an angel."

"We're never reborn with the same brain," Mukuro countered. "There's no way he could be as smart as he was in his first life."

Yamamoto shrugged with a worried smile.

"Well, hey! It's been a while since I've seen you three!" a cheerful voice said from above.

Looking up, they saw a green-haired angel gliding down slowly and lazily. His nose had a splatter of freckles and he gave them a crooked grin when he landed.

"Katsuro," Yamamoto said in greeting with his own quick smile. They didn't really want to speak to anyone at the moment, especially not this guy. He asked _way_ too much.

"Have you heard?"

 _Not this again,_ Mukuro, Yamamoto, and Chrome thought.

Since the boys didn't look like they were going to ask, Chrome did. "Hear what, Katsuro-kun?"

"Oh…so you don't know?" Katsuro asked with an astonished look plastered on his face. "I'm sorry. I thought you did."

 _If you aren't going to tell us anything, don't lead us on…_ Mukuro gave Katsuro a cold look. "Kufufufu. It doesn't matter, my lovely Katsuro," Mukuro said. His words were so sweet that Yamamoto wanted to gag. Katsuro immediately stiffened and glared at Mukuro when he teased. "After all, it's probably nothing important; otherwise, someone else would have told us already," Mukuro finished with a smirk.

"The Advisor was murdered last night."

"Oooh… and that's big news, isn't it?" Mukuro asked as he stretched. "Kufufufu…thank you…for bringing the shocking news…I'm off." He spread his wings, preparing to take flight.

"Oi, Mukuro! Hold on a second," Yamamoto said hastily and grabbed hold of Mukuro's leg before he got out of reach. Mukuro jerked in the air and came down with a scowl. Yamamoto turned back to Katsuro.

"When did this happen?"

Katsuro shrugged and took his time to explain, now that he had their attention. "Just this morning. Gruesomely murdered. A pity," he said with a shake of his head. "Just what you would expect from the Fallen Angels."

Yamamoto, Chrome, and Mukuro's eyes narrowed at the mention of their enemy.

"How did they get in?" Chrome whispered. Her eyes roamed the skies as though the Fallen Angels were within hearing.

"Oh, it was terrible," Katsuro said with a sigh and a shake of his head. "Such tragedy!"

"Katsuro," Mukuro said through gritted teeth and forcing a smile on his face that looked more fitting on the devil than an angel. "Spill it already. Or I'll spill your guts along with the answer."

"No need to get antsy. We don't know how they got in yet, but we will soon enough."

"They're calling a meeting," Chrome said abruptly. They turned to look at her.

"What?" Katsuro said, confusion clearly in his voice.

"Something major is wrong with the Earth that Boss is. Those on Boss's team are to report to the archangel's chambers. Five minutes," Yamamoto said nervously, and tilted his head as though listening for more.

Chrome's face paled. "I guess we're going."

"Just hold on a minute," Katsuro said as their wings spread. "I didn't hear anything of this…"

"Kufufufu…That's because you're not connected to any open cases," Mukuro said with a smirk as he too received the silent summons from the Assistant.

Yamamoto smiled at him, but it was only a fleeting. "We'll talk to you later, Katsuro!"

They immediately took off and made their way to Byakuran. Other angels met them as they ascended. Exchanging nods and quick greetings, they entered the room they had met Byakuran when Tsuna first came back from his previous mission.

Chrome, Yamamoto, and Mukuro chose three of the ten seats that surrounded the table. Byakuran himself was standing in front of a vacant spot.

"So he called in other teams that have Angels on Tsuna's Earth," Yamamoto murmured. "This is big."

"Is this everyone?" Byakuran said as he surveyed the room. After a moment, he nodded. "Then we will begin." With a wave of his hand, the double doors slammed shut. "I believe that we'll need the angels on _this_ Earth soon." He conjured up a misty profile of each angel who occupied the Earth Tsuna was currently on.

 _Tsuna..._

Other angels murmured to their companions.

"Byakuran," Yamamoto said over all the other voices. They quieted and looked at the cheerful teen.

"Yes, Takeshi?" Byakuran replied with a closed eye smile.

"You do know that most of the angels on Earth probably aren't old enough or are too old to be of much use, right? You said "soon", but Tsuna's only eight."

"I'm sure you've heard rumours about the Fallen Angels by now," Byakuran said. "I suspect that they may be trying to create an uprising and take control. They will ruin everything that we have worked for up until now if they do."

"That's preposterous! There is no way they can rebel against us," an angel said.

Byakuran's eyes flashed dangerously. "It's not as impossible as you may think. When the time comes, I want a few of you to go down there and assist."

Mukuro's eyes narrowed. "By that, you mean…?" he said.

"Mmm…Yes, Mukuro. It means some of you are going to simply have to cross the line of the Elgan Order to Earth the hard way."

"Is that really necessary?" another angel said weakly. "Can't they just join with a human who will be born in the next few seconds?"

"The angels who are already on Earth are too young and will most likely still be young humans by the time they are needed. We can't rely on their powers if their powers haven't forced their ways to the forefront. If _they_ are barely old enough, what makes you think that the ones we send right this second will be any better?" Byakuran asked. "That is all I have to say. Prepare yourselves. I will decide whose teammates to send according to where the Fallen Angels will attack. And don't breathe a word of this to anyone outside of this room or you'll wish you never died."

* * *

Chrome, Yamamoto and Mukuro gathered near the edge of their world. Chrome glanced down at their friend and comrade to see how he was doing. Satisfied with what she saw, she turned back to her two companions.

"I'm worried for him," she said quietly.

Yamamoto laughed cheerfully. "It'll be alright, Chrome! Tsuna's smart and strong. He can handle himself."

"Kufufufu…he hasn't even met with any of the Vongola yet. How do you expect him to be strong? It's different than before, when he had the home tutor from the Mafia. This time, he has nothing except for his dormant powers, which probably won't resurface in his life time."

"Mukuro, you really know how to joke," Yamamoto said with a chuckle though it sounded false. Seeing Yamamoto's glare, Mukuro knew that he shouldn't have opened his mouth. "We need to have faith in Tsuna. He's our boss!"

 **~EO!~**

* * *

 **Three years later (age 11)**

Tsuna was sitting in the kitchen doing his homework, which was a sheet of math questions. He was just finishing the tenth question when he heard something outside. He ran to the window to peer out.

"Nonno!"

"What is it?" his grandfather asked and coughed.

"I heard something!"

" _What?"_

"I HEARD SOMETHING," he repeated in a much louder voice.

"Oh! Yes, did you? Well so did I!" his grandfather shouted back and wandered into the kitchen to find some water. "What did you hear?"

Tsuna turned to look at him. "I don't know—"

 _BAM!_

"See? There it is again!"

"Get down," his grandfather shouted and he pushed his grandson's head below the window.

"What? What?"

His grandfather coughed twice before speaking again, "It's dangerous to be up. No, don't look out the window!"

"But nonno, I want to see what's happening!" Tsuna's curiosity was stirred. What was happening?

The Cavallone and the Puniamo were fighting openly on the streets. Nonno didn't know a whole lot about the gangs, but he did know that this neighbourhood was on Cavallone territory. What that meant, he didn't know. That was how the poorer parts of the neighbourhoods were. They were run by gangs that claimed they had the people's interests at heart. He heard from the neighbours that their sons were impelled to join them after seeing the gangs in action. One day, they would come home with a tattoo or some other symbol of the gang, imprinted on them, never to be washed off.

He worried that his dear Giotto would end up like one of those boys if he saw them. He sucked in a breath when one of the men fell down. In a few more minutes, the fight was over and blood was spilled. One of the Cavallone men walked up to the Puniamo and said something. Then the Puniamo members scrambled to their feet and ran.

The Cavallone leader's gaze focused on the people who were looking from their windows. His eyes and smile were soft. "Don't worry," was the message they were sending to the people.

 _So young, and already the leader of a Mafia gang,_ Tsuna's grandfather thought as he watched the blond haired youth look at him.

Dino's eyes locked onto the old man's a few seconds longer than they did with the others. This was an unfamiliar face. He would have to welcome the old man into the neighbourhood at some point. He filed that note away in his memory. First, he had to deal with this… _group._

* * *

The next afternoon, Tsuna walked home by his usual route alone, since his grandfather was busy tending to the shop.

 _I wonder what happened yesterday,_ Tsuna thought. _Maybe nonno will tell me if I nag him enough!_ With new hope, Tsuna sped up until he was running home at full speed.

Two blocks later, there was a stand-off between teenagers, who were a few metres apart from each other. Tsuna was running too fast and tripped in his attempt to stop.

Right in front of Tsuna were three boys. The biggest one, standing in front, was wearing a black tank top and blue jeans. The two on either side of him were just as tall, but not as big.

The one to the right, who had brown hair, was standing a step behind and away from the other two, as though taking some kind of guard position. He stood relaxed in his black jeans, his hands tucked casually in his blue windbreaker's pockets.

"You'll pay for what you did yesterday. The Puniamo will be after you," the biggest boy said to the girl they stood against.

She had long blond hair that grew out with slight curls. At the moment, hair was in a french braid and wouldn't be in the way of fighting. On her right wrist, she had a bracelet. Tsuna recognized her and her friends as regulars in the neighbourhood. Her usual sweet smile was gone. Now, it was a sneer. "I'd like to see you try!"

The Puniamo member to the left ran to the girl and threw a punch at her face. He missed, letting the girl deliver her own blow. It hit bone and there was a crack. Tsuna screamed when the teen collapsed right next to him.

The teen noticed Tsuna and grabbed him. _"Hiiiiiiiiie!_ Let go of me!"

"Shut up! Surrender if you don't want me to hurt this kid!"

The girl stopped and stood in a relaxing position. Her brown eyes were troubled for a second, but she hid it quickly. "That kid means nothing to me. What makes you think that I'll stop?"

Meanwhile, Tsuna was struggling not to pass out from panic. He looked at the older boys. The middle boy had a smile that came from Tsuna's worst nightmares. The boy to the right didn't even twitch. He didn't move from his position and his face was utterly blank. Not a sneer, not a smile, not a frown…But his blue eyes were on Tsuna, watching him closely. Tsuna couldn't figure out what the older boy was thinking, only that he wouldn't raise a finger to help. He had a marking on his neck—a red tattoo that peeked out from under his t-shirt's collar. Tsuna committed that to memory so that he would know to run the other way if he ever saw the boy again. He couldn't see what it was exactly, but he knew that they were stylised words in a language he didn't know.

He wriggled but his stubby feet were nowhere near the ground. Tsuna sent a silent plea to the girl in red. _Please help me! Pleaaaaaaaaase!_

"Kid," she said with gentle smile on her face. "If you want to get out of there, you're gonna have to fight your way out."

Tsuna's eyes became the size of ping pong balls. _Fight my way out? How do you expect me to do_ that?

Before he had time to think, she pulled back her arm to throw a knife at Tsuna's captive.

" _Hiiiiiiiiiiiiie!"_ Tsuna screamed, "STOP! THAT'LL KILL ME." Before he could think, he kicked until he hit something. The boy let out a painful shout and his grip loosened. Tsuna wiggled free and scratched the hand that tried to get a hold of him again.

He turned and saw a long gash across the left side of the teen's cheek made by the knife. Blood. Blood was pouring out—out onto the hand that was trying to stop the bleeding.

"Kid, get away from there!" The words spoken by the girl snapped Tsuna out of his trance. He looked at the girl and back at the teenager on his knees.

He got up and ran for home.

* * *

He didn't speak of his encounter with the older kids to anyone, fearing what would happen if he did. But it did change him. He began to recognise certain signs that indicated what 'team' people were on. Some had red bands while others had markings on their faces or arms and some just dressed oddly or had unique features to them.

He also saw some of the older students in their schools with them too, though not so explicit. He heard things about how someone was part of the Puniamo or the Cavallone, which didn't make any sense whatsoever.

As he grew older, he began to understand why his teachers didn't let any of the students go beyond the fence during recess, or why they had to practice lockdown drills so often, or why they made an effort to make sure that students weren't walking home alone without a parent or guardian.

And Tsuna's twelfth birthday passed with much caution: a simple cake, a present from his grandfather and Adelina, and extreme alertness whenever he left home.

* * *

 **A/N**

Ugh. I was having internet problems. Let's leave it at that.

Clam College does not play a role in this story. I figured that I'd just throw it in for the heck of it. It's part of another story which I might never get to writing.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

 _ **Updated 2015-12-09th**_

 _ **Edited 2016-09-09th (Thank you for the suggestion, KK! You raised a good point. I've changed it now. Hopefully it is better than before.)**_

* * *

 _ **-LLM**_


	5. Market Shootout

_Previously…_

Fallen Angels are causing unrest and Byakuran suspects that they might try to do something on Earth. He warns Chrome and the others that he might send them down soon. On Earth, Tsuna is disturbingly quick in learning a new language and he encounters a near-death experience that changes how he sees his neighbourhood.

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

 **One year later (age 13)**

"Don't forget to look over that newspaper I gave you!" Adelina said and gave him a hug.  
Tsuna smiled. "Hai," he said and put on his shoes. With a final wave, he let the elevator whisk him away.

"Nonno, I'm home!" Tsuna called out when he entered his apartment. When his grandfather failed to reply, he looked around, trying to find the man. "Nonno?"

 _Maybe he's still in the shop..._

He walked into the kitchen and found nonno sitting by the table with his head between his hands. "Nonno, are you feeling okay?" Tsuna frowned and looked at the bottle of pills next to his grandfather. "What's this?" He picked it up and read the label but didn't understand any of the medical terms.

"They're just pills for my headache." His grandfather took the bottle and pocketed it. "Go and do your homework—I'm almost finished cooking dinner."

"How about I prepare dinner and you go and rest?" Tsuna said.

"Nonsense! I'm perfectly capable of fixing up dinner! Who said I wasn't?"

" _Hiiie!_ N-No one said you weren't!" Tsuna squeaked and backed away from the table.

"Good! Then go finish your homework, Giotto."

Tsuna was quick to obey so he would avoid his grandfather's stubborn and outrageous rants.

They had a quiet dinner, with Tsuna eying his grandfather for signs of him feeling unwell.

"How is Donato?" his grandfather asked suddenly.

Tsuna shrugged. "He's fine. We still hang out when we have time. Oh yeah, he's also learning Japanese!"

"Is he?" his grandfather looked at him curiously as he stood up to refill his glass of water.

"It has something to do with his family business that has expanded to Japan. He and his older sister are learning it."

After dinner, Tsuna went off to study the Japanese newspaper before going to bed. He tossed and turned but was unable to fall asleep. He grumbled to himself and saw that it was already heading to one o'clock in the morning. If he didn't sleep soon, he was going to fall asleep in class. But he didn't want to sleep. Those unknown nightmares might come and haunt him again—they didn't come for him every night, but they came often enough that he didn't find sleep appealing anymore. Though he couldn't remember anything from those dreams, they left him shaking and filled with a terror he shouldn't know about.

" _Cough cough!"_

Tsuna tilted his head and listened. His grandfather was coughing again and it occurred more often nowadays. He rolled over and bit his lip worriedly.

Fifteen minutes later, his eyes grew heavy and he finally fell asleep…dreamless.

* * *

A week later when Tsuna was walking home from school, he was preoccupied with thinking of his grandfather's condition. It had worsened in the last two days and Tsuna didn't know what he could do for his grandfather that the doctors were already doing—that is, doctors that they could afford. But there wasn't a lot that any doctor could do with a patient who was so ill. It was the third time this week that his grandfather opted to stay at home to rest rather than go down to the shop.

 _There's no way I can take care of the shop!_ Tsuna thought as he pulled at his hair. _I'll probably ruin everything!_

Tsuna was so deep in thought that he didn't see the man slink out of the ally until he was pushed from behind.

" _Hiiie!"_ Tsuna slammed into the wall with a scream and his school bag slid off his shoulder. He quickly turned around just in time to meet a fist in his face.

"Give me all your money or I'll kill you!" the man yelled and punched Tsuna again.

Tsuna ducked and kicked the man's right knee. "Let me go!" While using his right arm to block the man's third punch, he used his left to scratch the man's face.

"Arrg!" the man's grip loosened and Tsuna pushed him away. The man was dressed in clothes that could pass for rags and had hair so shaggy, dirty, and tangled that Tsuna could tell the man didn't have a decent life.

The man barrelled into Tsuna, who desperately delivered his own punch to the side of the man's head and kicked him again, while his own stomach received a punch. The man clung to Tsuna's clothes.

Tsuna gasped for air and pushed the man into a stack of boxes. Then he ran before the man could pick himself up again.

Halfway home, Tsuna realised that he forgot his school bag. "No," he groaned to himself and turned back. _What if he's still there?_ he thought in a panic. He shook his head. "I still have to get it…"

He walked two steps and tripped over his other foot. Thanks to the bruises and possible strain the mugger gave him, Tsuna ended up lying on the ground, too tired to move.

"Kid, you alright?" a girl's voice said from above. A girl who was around nineteen years old looked down at him with her blond hair tied in a loose bun. She had a bracelet on her right hand and wore a few rings on her fingers.

Tsuna sat up quickly so he could look at her properly. "I know you," he cried out in surprise.

The girl raised her brows. "Yeah?"

"U-Um, two years ago, I think! I was on my way home and I bumped into this guy who used me as a shield and you told me I had to fight if I wanted to live. You threw a knife at me! Or…something like that," Tsuna said with a nervous laugh.

The girl tilted her head and stared at him with her dark brown eyes. Suddenly they lit up with recognition. "Now I remember! That scared you quite a bit, huh? You were just a little twerp back then."

She helped him to his feet and frowned at the bruising and dirt on him. "What happened to you?"

 _Aren't you going to apologise for the knife!?_ Tsuna winced as she touched one of the nastier bruises on his face. "Someone tried to steal my things…ah! I left my bag. He probably took it!"

"Whoa, hold the tears," the girl said and patted Tsuna's shoulders but quickly removed her hands when he yelped. "Sorry. Tell you what? I'll go with you to get it back. Maybe the man missed it."

Tsuna's expression brightened. "Really? Thanks!"

The girl waved off his thanks. "Oh, you'll do the same for me, won't you?"

Tsuna gulped, entirely positive that he wouldn't willingly go to someone's aid since he could barely fight to help himself. "S-Sure."

"Lead the way…I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name. I'm Diana."

"G-Giotto."

"Heh. Giotto, huh? How long have you been living here?"

"Um…I moved in a few years ago. I think I was ten or eleven? It's just me and nonno."

"I have a kid brother your age. I suppose I have a rather big family. My dad owns a business and everyone has a home with us, see."

"Th-That's nice. It's just down this street," Tsuna said and pointed towards the right. They looked around the corner and saw that the man had moved on. The boxes were crushed from the man's weight. His school bag lay abandoned, covered by wood shavings and an old piece of cardboard. He went through it and sighed with relief when he found that nothing was stolen.

They turned around and walked back the way they came but Diana suddenly stopped when they had only taken three steps.

"What's wrong?" Tsuna asked. He looked around them and noticed nothing out of the ordinary.

Diana frowned at the person who was walking toward them, but Tsuna didn't see anything wrong with the guy, who was Diana's age. He wasn't dressed in rags, which reassured Tsuna slightly. Rather, he was dressed in a pair of jeans and a white shirt, both looking clean and free of any dirt that would have been collected by anyone who lived on the streets. His brown hair was trimmed neatly, his nose was unbroken, and his blue eyes were free of insanity.

Tsuna sucked in a breath. The unknown teen had left a few buttons of his shirt open, revealing the tattoo that Tsuna remembered as clear as day. This teen was with the other boy who used Tsuna as a shield two years ago. And Tsuna was right about the tattoo being words. The red inked words were squished together and rounded on the sides, top, and bottom until they looked more like a symbol.

The teen stopped a few metres from them and cocked his head to the side. "Huh."

Tsuna watched Diana's eyes sharpen. "Marco," she said in a flat voice.

The teen, Marco, returned the curt greeting and removed his hands for his pockets. Diana twitched and started to push Tsuna aside but Marco's hands came out empty.

"Relax. I'm not here to fight."

"Like how you weren't here to fight two days ago?" Diana asked. "Get out of my sight before I call for help and forcefully remove you."

Marco shrugged. "Just so you know, even if a few of your family came, I could still win—my control over my flames increased quite a bit from the last time we fought. But I'll save you the trouble. Ciao."

He started to pass them but whispered something into Diana's ear that had her whirling around, trying to land a punch on him. He evaded it easily. "You—what was that supposed to mean? Are you threatening me?"

"You know exactly what it means," Marco said over his shoulder and continued walking out of their sight.

"Marco!"

Marco gave her a grim expression before turning the corner.

Diana kicked a box. "Ugh! I hate that guy."

"W-Who was he?"

"He's one of the Puniamo. You stay away of him, okay? I'm sorry, but since he saw you with me he probably thinks that you're one of us now."

"O-One of us? Who's…us?"

"The Cavallone," said Diana. "We protect this area from families like the Puniamo."

"Okay…?" Tsuna said and looked at his watch. "I guess I should head home now. Bye! Thanks again," Tsuna said and left Diana to walk the streets alone.

He made a stop at home to drop off his bags and to make sure that his grandfather was alright before heading to the seventh floor.

* * *

"What's bothering you, Giotto-kun _?"_ Adelina asked at the end of their lesson. They were sitting down at the kitchen table, each drinking a can of pop.

"What do you mean?"

"You're spacing out and looking worried."

"O-Oh…ah…my grandfather's not looking too well and he's not opening the shop as often now. I'm really worried about him. There isn't much of a profit coming from the shop in the first place so that's another thing to worry about. How is he supposed to see the doctors if he can't afford to?"

Adelina furrowed her brows and thought for a moment. "You could get a part-time job this summer. It's just a few weeks away, right? You should be old enough."

Tsuna stared at her in shock. "I can't take on a part-time job!"

"Sure you can. You're what, turning fourteen soon? That's a nice age to start. I know that there's a restaurant in the tourist district that's looking for some help. The pay obviously won't be very good, but if you know a foreign language…" she raised her brows as her sentence trailed off, giving him a hint.

"I-I still don't want to talk to others…"

"Please don't tell me that you're choosing now to be socially awkward!" Adelina exclaimed and slapped Tsuna's back hard enough to have him spilling his drink.

"Jeez, I'll…I'll think about it,"Tsuna said.

Adelina laughed. "Then we will go tomorrow. It's a good idea for you to talk with others in Japanese to see how well you really know the language."

"E-EHHHHHHHHHH?"

"Didn't I tell you? It's a Japanese restaurant."

"B-But!"

"No buts," Adelina interrupted his stuttering with a hand. "My treat."

Tsuna seemed to deflate as he nodded his head. "Oh alright. Well, I'm going to go home now."

"I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Wanting me to work part-time," Tsuna muttered to himself as he entered the elevator. "Do I really have to do something so tedious? Nonno, I'm home," he called out when the door to his apartment slid aside.

"Giotto? I'm in the kitchen. Wash up and set the table, would you?"

"Sure. Oh, and Hayate-sensei thinks that I should work part-time at this restaurant…what do you think?" Knowing his grandfather, he might take this as an insult to his ability to look after them on his own.

"That's a good idea. You're going to have to learn to live on your own life and earn your own money sooner or later."

Tsuna dropped a fork in surprise. "Sorry. Here, I'll just get that washed again. You really want me to work? Are you sure you don't think that it's unnecessary?" he asked, trying to figure out what his grandfather was up to.

His grandfather lifted his eyebrows as he pulled out his chair to sit. "You should know that I'm not going to be around for much longer! Everyone will die at some point and you should learn to survive on your own," he said, scolding.

"But nonno!"

"Not only that, but we should have another source of income…in case the shop gets vandalised in any way."

"What are you talking about?" asked Tsuna as he filled his plate.

"We don't live in a nice neighbourhood. There are going to be people who will destroy things and run off, especially those rowdy kids who have a few nuts loose in their heads," said his grandfather bitterly. "All this business with the Cavallone and those Puniamo…it's going to people's heads. Giving them too much power, I'd say!"

"Cavallone? Puniamo?" Tsuna repeated in a puzzled tone. "What?" _Diana did say something about that…_

His grandfather put down his eating utensils while he continued to chew slowly.

"What are they?" Tsuna asked again.

His grandfather cleared his throat. "They are Mafia families."

 _Diana's in the Mafia!?_

Unaware of Tsuna's shock, his grandfather continued, "The Cavallone take care of this neighbourhood and the other one—that is, the Puniamo, which is what people call them, apparently—is sort of their enemy. I'm not too clear on these things myself. The Cavallone are a decent sort. I met with their boss or someone near the top when we first moved in. It was an introduction to tell me how they look after the people around here. Some fights do break out because the Puniamo won't leave them alone."

Tsuna gulped as he remembered when he heard a gun firing outside his building and then when he was taken hostage. They weren't good times but for some reason he didn't think of the Mafia. He always thought of the Mafia as something separate from his own small world.

"Will you do the dishes tonight?" his grandfather asked when they finished their meal. Tsuna nodded absently. "Don't forget to do your homework either, Giotto."

"I won't."

"There's a good lad."

* * *

 **Half a year later (age 13 ½)**

"Thanks for coming," Tsuna said numbly as another person left the cemetery where his grandfather was buried. He didn't know who it was but the man gave him a sad look and patted his shoulder. When Tsuna turned away from the man, Donato approached him.

Donato, his long time best and only friend, was dressed in black from head to toe. He wore a sweater to accommodate the change in weather. When the wind blew, Donato shivered and pulled his sleeves further down to shield his hands from the chill.

"Hey, Giotto…" he said. "Are you going to be alright?"

Tsuna nodded and smiled for a second before the smile disappeared.

Donato took a deep breath. He should say it quickly. "Listen…I'm going to be leaving Italy to study abroad…Please don't give me that look. I don't have much of a choice."

"But why?" Tsuna asked as he pushed his own sorrows to the back of his mind to give his friend his full attention. He could see pain in Donato's dark brown eyes as though he was recalling a bad memory.

Donato shut his eyes and shook his head. He rubbed his face with his sleeve before looking up at Tsuna again.

"I just have to get away from here for a while. Something terrible happened in my family and I can't handle being here. My—my…you remember how I have a sister?"

Tsuna's eyes widened in horror. "Yeah...Dee, right?"

"She…she died. In—an—a-a-accident."

Tsuna immediately wrapped his arms around Donato, who clung to him.

"My father thinks that it would be better if I'm away for a while. To get away from here. I can't stand it, Giotto. It won't be the same there without you, even if I'll be attending a school that my father taught at."

"We'll stay in touch," Tsuna promised.

Donato let go and wiped the tears form his cheeks. "I don't want you to think that I'm abandoning you or anything. After all, you just lost your last relative."

Tsuna faked a smile for Donato's sake. "You're like my brother, Donato. I'm sad that you're leaving but it's not like you're leaving forever. It's not your fault that something happened in your family and that it happened while nonno was…anyway, good luck."

"You should come with me."

"Wh-What?"

Donato was nodding enthusiastically as though he was running with the idea. "You don't have anyone else here. A change in scenery might help you. Come with me to Japan."

"I can't, Donato. Even if I wanted to, I don't have the money for it," Tsuna said.

Donato sighed. "It was worth a try." His eyes sharpened and he pointed a finger at Tsuna. "Don't think that I won't dare call you, crying for help if I don't understand what my teacher's saying."

"Remember the time difference!" Tsuna said automatically, remembering the last time his friend went to Japan for a visit.

"I promise I won't call you if I'm bored from waiting for my dad to finish his meeting," Donato said. "I swear it."

Tsuna punched Donato's arm lightly and gave a genuine smile. "Safe flying."

"Ciao."

Tsuna waited until the car that drove Donato to the cemetery rounded the corner before he allowed his legs to buckle beneath him. Before he could fall, Adelina caught him.

"Giotto!"

Tsuna leaned into her and closed his eyes. "They're all gone…"

"I'm still here," said Adelina in a soothing voice. She rubbed circles over his back and led him out of the cemetery to walk back home. "Did you think that I'd just abandon you?"

"N…No," Tsuna said. "It's just that the world feels so empty now."

Adelina made a quick decision. "Come stay in my apartment tonight. You can have the living room. A child shouldn't stay home alone so soon after burying his nonno."

Tsuna shook his head. "I'll be fine! There's no need to trouble you."

"It's no trouble at all—"

"No, really. I'm just two floors below you, I'll be alright."

She gave him a doubtful look but said, "If you're sure."

* * *

The months following his grandfather's funeral were a blur. Tsuna would wake up, skip breakfast, and go to school. Afterward, he would go directly to the library to finish his homework before heading in to work at the sushi restaurant as a waiter. After hours of taking orders and occasionally conversing with tourists to explain what they could find for entertainment around the area, he would eat dinner, courtesy of the leftovers, before heading home at a quick pace to avoid being mugged. Sometimes he arrived home without a scratch but on more than one occasion, he would find himself attacked by others who tried to steal his possessions or he would be attacked by drunkards who just wanted a fight.

Tsuna soon learned that if he didn't want to end up with broken limbs or bruised body parts the next day, he needed to fight more than before. He punched, kicked, scratched, and threw objects at his assailants until he could get away from them. He never brought a weapon with him; he only wanted to stop them, not kill them or injure them in any way that would cause them permanent harm.

The social workers hadn't found him yet, or hadn't bothered to, since he was still in his apartment. His landlord didn't seem to care that his tenant was a child as long as Tsuna could pay the rent.

His social life was nonexistent; all he did outside of school and work was visit Adelina once a week. Later, even those Japanese lessons stopped because she just couldn't think of anything else to teach him.

One Saturday, Tsuna received a call from the restaurant telling him that he didn't need to come in because they were having a slow day. He agreed easily, knowing that he would still return to work on Monday. He finished his homework and read the next chapter of his textbook before putting all his work away. He stood in the middle of his bedroom, wondering what he could do.

It was still early enough that Adelina wouldn't be home and it wasn't a good time to chat with Donato.

Tsuna shrugged. He put on his jacket and left the apartment. He decided that he would wander the market. He did recall needing some things and it was probably best to do some early shopping for Adelina and Donato's birthday presents.

As he made the twenty-minute walk to the market, he was careful to avoid walking near alleys and groups of suspicious people of his neighbourhood.

Fifteen minutes after crossing a major street, he calmed down. Here, outside of his neighbourhood, he was less likely to be bothered. Children played on the sidewalks, zooming around on their electric scooters. Adults walked their dogs while holding conference calls and teens sat on benches playing on their phones while waiting for their friends or meeting up to test someone's new air-board.

Tsuna passed all of them, remembering the days when he, too, had those games before they were sold so they could pay for his grandfather's medical bill.

Five minutes later, he was on the market's property. Everywhere he walked, he had to be careful to avoid stepping on toes or running over a child. Spotting a large group, Tsuna quickly stepped in behind them, travelling in the space that their combined bulk forced open.

* * *

The tall man in a casual shirt and jeans stopped at a jewellery stall to look at his reflection in a hanging mirror. He brushed his black hair away from his forehead as he examined the rest of his face and the face of the woman who was tailing him.

She was doing a good job, the man decided. It had taken him five minutes before he felt that someone was following him. It had taken another five minutes to identify who it was. Now, he was just leading her on to see what she would do. The man was quite anxious, however. He had only spotted her after entering the market, meaning that if she decided to attack him, she would have many hostages at her disposal and collateral damage would be a definite thing. That was something he couldn't afford to have.

He swore quietly and moved on, making his way to the other end of the market to where the bookstore was located. He just hoped that the woman wasn't an assassin, for the sake of all the people within shooting range. She wouldn't be that stupid to try killing him here in broad daylight, would she?

As the man stopped next to a disposal machine to empty the wrappers in his pockets, he glanced at the woman from the corner of his eye and saw that she was texting someone. He waited another moment before walking on and noticed that he had grown three more tails. Two were men who had cool gazes directed at him and walked empty handed. The third as a woman who was smarter; she had a bag over her shoulder and took her time travelling from stall to stall.

The man groaned and wondered how things got so wrong. He tapped a button on his watch twice and spoke into the mic attached to his earbuds. "I'm being followed by four. Two men, two women. They don't look friendly."

" _What?"_ his friend said incredulously. _"You were only supposed to pick up my book while you went to deal with your own business. How the hell did you manage to get four freaking tails?"_

The man didn't think that he needed to answer that question. He just needed his friend to know the situation. He began to whistle and stroll casually along. He bumped into a teenager who was just stepping out of a phone accessory store and caused him to drop his purchase.

"I'm sorry," the man said and helped the teen pick up the cell phone case.

"It's fine. Thanks."

There must have been some signal because just after returning the purchase to the boy, he heard the whirring of a high-tech gun being powered up.

"Get down," he shouted to the boy and pushed him back into the store while he himself hit the floor. Screams came from every direction as the laser beam hit the wall behind the man, causing a scorch mark to appear with a fizzle.

Swearing freely, the man hid himself behind a stall selling counterfeit hover-boards and brought out his stun gun. He would have preferred to use his main weapon of choice but in this thick a crowd, drawing a sword wouldn't be wise. So, he hoped that the hours of practice he had with using this particular weapon would pay off.

A few bullets whizzed by his hiding spot and he quickly returned the favour, careful to hit his targets and not the innocents.

There was more screaming as people ran behind shops and statues. The man quietly moved from the booth to the fountain. He continued to move until he was at their flank. Then he stood up and fired.

* * *

Tsuna hugged the shopping bag to his chest as he shook like a leaf against the wall of the store he was pushed into. The owner of the shop cowered beneath his desk for a second before scooting out the back door.

Great. Tsuna was alone in the store. All that accompanied him were the the bullets that occasionally tore through the inside of the shop. A blast followed.

Should he risk a look to see what was happening? He inched his way to the entrance of the store and carefully exposed his head. Before he knew what he was doing, Tsuna jumped back.

" _Hiiie!"_

 _BANG!_

A stray bullet had landed just centimetres from where his shoe had been. How he moved before the bullet landed he didn't know, but he was only thankful that he had such quick reflexes from fending off muggers and would-be-killers.

A man grunted and fell a few feet away from him. Tsuna gasped and scuttled further away as a gun clattered to the floor. He shot out a leg and kicked the gun away from the body.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are," one of the females wielding a gun sang out. "I'll kill this girl if you don't."

Tsuna's head shot up and he crawled forward to see what was happening. What he saw made him pale.

A young girl who looked to be ten or eleven was crying while her hair was being pulled by the woman, who pointed a gun to the girl's head. Their backs were to him but the reassurance for his own safety didn't calm him down. That girl was in danger.

Tsuna looked around wildly but didn't see the man that the woman was talking to. Slowly, a man stood from behind the fountain that he was hiding behind.

"Let the girl go."

"Not until you drop your weapon and come with us," the woman replied. She knocked the girl's head with the barrel of the gun.

The man couldn't do anything. Tsuna knew that if the man dropped his weapon and went with them, the woman would still kill the child. No matter what the man did, the kid would die and there was nothing Tsuna could do to save her.

Tsuna stared at the gun in the woman's hand. Then he turned to look at the discarded gun on the floor. Without hesitating, Tsuna reached for it and picked up the cold metal. His hand wrapped around it easily and his thumb went for the safety even though it was already off.

He raised his head to look at the woman. The gun was still in his hands. The woman raised her gun slightly as though she was starting to point it at the man but was doing it in slow motion.

At once, Tsuna stood. He raised the gun and pulled the trigger.

* * *

 **~EO!~**

Chrome shrieked as an unexpected bullet shot through the air. "Mukuro-kun, what's happening to Boss?" When did he pick up a gun?

"Oya?"

"He's…" Chrome closed her mouth when Katsuro appeared.

"Hey, what are you all looking at?" the uninvited guest said. "That's Tsunayoshi, isn't it? He seems to be doing well in Giotto's body. Good reflexes and aim. Excellent instincts."

Yamamoto frowned at this and watched the shooting happen. He shared concerned looks with Chrome while Mukuro talked to Katsuro.

"Kufufu. Yes, Tsunayoshi is very good at his job, isn't he?"

Katsuro quickly dismissed what he thought of Tsuna and looked at Mukuro warily. "Sure. I guess I should be going now."

Chrome blinked owlishly at him when he started to stutter and back away from them. "Katsuro…?"

"Kufufufufufu…"

Yamamoto laughed and asked, "Did you do something, Mukuro?"

"I might have," Mukuro said and his right eye turned into the kanji character for _one_.

Yamamoto shivered and chuckled nervously. "Right, I get it."

"Boss isn't acting right," Chrome said softly. It wasn't normal for a thirteen year old boy to suddenly have perfect aim when he had never held a gun before. She should know. There was never a time when she had seen him hold one, let alone learn to aim with it. At least, not in this lifetime.

However, when he was Vongola Decimo, there were countless opportunities for him to train with one as well as to use it in life-threatening situations. In the files and certain reviews of their missions, she had read about Tsuna taking aim and firing at enemies in a blink of an eye. They would always hit their mark: places of the body that would not kill them, a fact that Reborn must have been greatly annoyed with, since it gave the enemies the opportunity to come back for him.

Yes, there was something wrong with "Giotto".

 **~EO!~**

* * *

The bullet hit the woman's arm and tore through her to lodge into a brick wall. A moment of silence followed the shot as the woman slowly released her grip on the girl and fell forward. The girl's mother screamed and ran for her child.

The man ran through the fountain and quickly stunned the assassin and her remaining two companions. The man didn't stop there. He ran to the shocked boy and jerked the gun out of his hands. He took the boy's left hand and ran down a side street.

"Damn, kid! Do you know how dangerous that was?" He cast a glance behind him, noticed his wet footprints, and used a bit of his rain flames to evaporate the water.

"Who were they?" the boy demanded when he shook the shock out of his system. He started to run next to the man rather than be dragged by the hand.

"They're a Mafia gang called Puniamo. Are you going to tell me who you are and where you learned to shoot like that?" Despite what he said of that being a dangerous situation, the kid handled himself with professional efficiency. Where did the kid learn to shoot so well, especially when he was dressed so poorly?

He had noted the torn dark green jacket and the faded jeans that were littered with holes at the bottom, most likely from being stepped on by a shoe or dragged across the ground. The badly cut short brown hair matched the brown eyes.

The man pulled the boy into a dark alley. Once they were deep in the shadows, he took out a handkerchief to wipe down the gun before storing the gun into the box weapon at his back. He made sure the boy couldn't see what he was doing.

"O-Oh…um…well…Giotto. I mean, my name's Giotto. And I didn't know that I could shoot a gun until I did!"

"That doesn't make any sense," the man said. _They might have seen his face,_ he thought with concern. _The kid's probably going to find himself chased by those people. Speaking of which, I need to figure out who they were._

"What about your family?" the man asked.

Giotto looked at him with a suspicious frown.

The man laughed and shook his head. "I'm not going to do anything evil, kid."

"Just to let you know, I might not have any living relatives, but I do have people who will miss me," Giotto warned.

"Okay, I get it," the man said and raised his hands in surrender. Poor kid doesn't have a family.

"So? Why did you ask?"

"You have a lot of potential, Giotto. I'm not going to lie to you. We could use people who show as much raw talent as you do. If you're ever interested in honing your talents—not only in shooting, but in self-defence, call me at this number." He gave the boy a plain white card that had only a phone number printed on it. "Besides, you've been seen shooting that gun like a seasoned fighter. The police might want to dig you up! We'll protect you. I promise."

Giotto gave him a panicked look. The man's eyes narrowed. Was this boy actually hiding from the cops?

"O-Okay. Thanks...a-and who are you?"

The man's narrow-eyed look vanished, replaced by a grin and bright eyes. "Vongola's Rain Guardian at your service, kid."

* * *

 **A/N:  
** And the Vongola appears! Well, at least one of them. But look forward to more of them! I hope you all had a great year and that this one will be even better. Happy 2016!

 **Updated 2016-01-01st**

* * *

 ** _-LLM_**


	6. The Vongola Guardians

_Previously…_

Tsuna's grandfather passed away and Tsuna's left alone to fend for himself. One day when he goes out to the market, Tsuna gets caught in a middle of a shootout and meets Vongola's Rain Guardian…

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

 **~EO!~**

"Yatta!" Yamamoto shouted with both arms raised high in the air. Chrome came out of her inner thoughts immediately and looked down just in time to see Tsuna accept a business card from the Vongola member—Vongola's Rain Guardian.

"Kufufufu…and the real mission starts now," Mukuro said. "Although he hasn't accepted anything from the man yet…from how Tsunayoshi grew up, he'll want to learn how to fight."

Chrome narrowed her eyes. "The Rain Man might not have good intentions. We don't know the Vongola of this world…"

Mukuro chuckled. "That's why Tsunayoshi is there, isn't it? Kufufufu…I can't wait to see what hell he will make the Vongola go through."

"Speaking of the Vongola…How are the others?" Chrome asked.

"Are you talking about Gokudera and the rest?" Yamamoto asked with a grin. "I looked in on them two days ago and they seemed to be having a bit of trouble—nothing they can't fix. We can read about their adventures when the rest of them return. Their mission is winding up, after all. Mukuro, didn't you—eh? Oi, where are you going?"

"I haven't finished reading what happened in our previous lives." _Kufufu…after all, many Mafia families who appear in our old lives will also make an appearance in Tsunayoshi's present life. And we don't know what will come next…in the Elgan Order_ or _Earth._

 **~EO!~**

* * *

Adelina paced back and forth in front of Tsuna's apartment, glancing at the elevator once every few seconds. She should have gone with him. What if he was injured? They didn't release names, but a shootout before a few people were shot by someone—maybe an undercover policeman or something.

 _Ding._

"H-Hayate-sensei?"

"Giotto, I was so worried!" She pounced on him like a worried mother cat. "Are you alright? What happened at the market? I heard about the shootout. They said the Mafia families were fighting against one another again. They never do stop, do they? Always getting regular, _normal_ civilians injured during their battles—"

"H-Hayate-sensei," Tsuna choked out and patted her back. "C-Can't breathe."

"Oh! _Gomen,"_ she said and released him.

Tsuna gasped while waving it off. "It's on the news?" He fumbled with his keys in his haste to unlock his apartment. When he was finally in, he ran to the television.

Her brows knit together, Adelina followed him in. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I wasn't that close to it; I just heard shooting and ran to hide like everyone else," Tsuna said as he flipped the channels. His eyes were filled with uncontrolled panic but since he was facing the television, Adelina missed it.

" _Just an hour ago, two gangs were fighting in H_ _—_ _Market Square. Luckily, there were no casualties. However, a young girl was taken as a hostage for a short period of time before the police arrived and controlled the situation—"_

Tsuna sagged onto the couch as the woman continued the voice-over while the camera panned the market. Tsuna's face was nowhere in sight.

"Such a disaster," Adelina said. "This is the second time since I've lived here that there was a shootout between gangs."

"The second time?" Tsuna repeated. Then he remembered his manners and went into the kitchen to get them both something to drink.

"Yes, the first time was…gosh, it was a few years ago. There was a gang that had been on the rise, slowly gaining an infamous reputation: _Puniamo_. They purposely target the cops who are part of DOCI—"

"—the what? What's DOCI?"

Adelina laughed and took a sip of her water before continuing. "It's the department that fight against the mafia. DOCI—Department of Organized Crime Investigations."

"H-How do you know all of that?"

"What? Oh, I took a course in Criminology when I was in university. It was really fun. We did a lot of research and case studies that had to do with Mafiosi and other criminals."

 _I-I thought you were only interested in teaching,_ Tsuna thought. He shook his head and asked, "So, that gang targets people who work against the Mafia?"

"Yes. They… _punish_ them." Adelina said it with disgust as she set down her glass. "Avoid them at all cost, Giotto. They aren't afraid to commit murder. The news said police officers have gone missing or were found dead in alleys."

Tsuna shivered and nodded his head. "I'll definitely avoid them. Ah, can you tell me more about the other gangs that are in the area? N-Nonno told me about the…Cavallone…"

"The Cavallone? From what I understand, they are quite big, but the police can never find enough evidence to pin the boss down or to keep any of their members in jail for more than a few years. They look after their territory so that others won't take it. The boss is nice enough—sort of a hero of the people around here. That's another reason why the police leave them alone. They would rather go for the really bad guys than the bad guys that might be able to stop the really bad guys, if you get my meaning." Adelina paused. "And…there's also the Vongola."

Tsuna sat straighter. That man said he was Vongola's Rain Guardian. Whatever that rank was, Tsuna was pretty sure it meant that he should stay away from that man.

"The Vongola is probably the biggest group. The police have been after them for generations."

"G-Generations!"

"They're an old Mafia group," Adelina said. "They've been around since the beginning. They're the bloodiest, the most ruthless, and the richest Mafia family. There's not a lot of public information on them or the Cavallone—we only know what we see. The Cavallone boss is seen in the slums a lot, taking care of the people. That's his public image and he doesn't look like a Mafia boss at all, but almost everyone knows he is one.

"As for the Vongola…they mind their own business and seem to side with the Cavallone if there's a fight. That implies that they have the same morals and common interests but we don't know a lot since none of their higher ranking members have been caught or have become turncoats."

 _Higher ranking members...those are guardians._

Tsuna blinked. _Where did that thought come from?_ Setting that aside, he focused on Adelina. "That's a lot of information."

Adelina scoffed. "You hear things after living in the area for as many years as I have. You see things, you hear things, and you learn things. You talk to people. You get into messes and you get out of messes. You'll eventually meet some gangs. I just hope that you won't have to," she said and ruffled Tsuna's hair.

 _I-I already met three of them…_

"Keep up with your studies," Adelina said and stood.

Tsuna quickly followed suit. "Yeah, I'll do my best."

"Good night!"

"'Night."

Tsuna waved as his apartment door slid shut and he locked it. He sighed and sat on the floor. "Vongola," he said to himself. "Vongola," he said louder and cocked his head. "VON—GO—LA," he said, firmer than before. "Strongest Mafia family…Vongola…hm…"

It was strange. The Vongola didn't give him goosebumps like how the Puniamo did even though they were more of a mystery and were, according to Adelina, stronger than everyone else. Maybe it had to do with that man who acted like a normal person and actually offered to help him learn to fight.

He pulled out his phone and dialled the number on the card.

" _Hello?"_

Tsuna dropped the phone in surprise. Did he really just call that number? _Why did I do that!?_ he wailed in his head.

" _Hello?"_

He fumbled for the phone. "H-Hello, this is Giotto…"

" _Giotto! I'm glad that you called me. So, what's up?"_

"You said that if I ever wanted to—to um, to learn more about how to defend myself…?"

" _Oh, of course! I said that, didn't I? I guess you're interested, since you're calling."_

"Yeah, kind of. Could you perhaps tell me what I might be well… _learning?"_

" _Sure, no problem. Why don't you meet me somewhere?"_

"W-Why can't you just tell me over the phone?" Tsuna asked. _I don't want to meet a stranger! Then again, I'm calling one, aren't I…?_

" _That's because this phone line's not bug-proof. Do you remember where we met last time? I'll meet you there tomorrow morning, around eight."_

"O-Okay. Bye." He sighed once the man hung up. "What did I just do?!" he cried out and rolled on the floor while clutching his head.

* * *

He couldn't believe that he was doing this. He, at age thirteen, was going to meet a Mafioso that he knew for less than a day.

Tsuna waited just inside the alley for the man to appear at the decided time. He himself was five minutes early, not sure if it was all a hoax, and had waited in the shadows. After doing so for just a minute, he felt stupid and walked out. It's not as if anyone was going to ambush him or set him up right? He wasn't special.

He heard someone whistling while they walked toward the alley.

"Morning," the man said and raised a hand. "Let's get to the point. Do you want to work for me then, since you're here?"

Tsuna gasped. "N-No! I mean, I don't know. I want to know what that means first. I know that you're part of the Mafia!" he said, pointing an accusing finger at the man.

The man laughed and relaxed. "Caught me there! I thought you knew when you heard the name."

"Are you talking about Vongola?"

"Mhm."

"Odd name for a Mafia family," Tsuna said under his breath.

The man cocked a brow with a smirk on his lips. "Funny that you're not afraid of offending me."

Tsuna's eyes widened and he took two steps back. "I-I d-didn't—!"

He laughed again at the boy's anxious look. "There is more significance behind it than you might think. Anyway, let's talk about what we came here to talk about."

Tsuna nodded and eased his breathing.

"You won't be working for me right away. You might not even want to but it's an option that will help you earn some money. What I _am_ offering you is a chance to train your body and mind.

"If you accept, you will come to me and my friends to learn how to fight, both with and without weapons. That's the main thing, but to achieve this, you'll have several teachers who will teach you in their own way at their preferred level—studying, combat training, meditation..."

"Meditation?" Tsuna asked. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"It calms the mind and helps you think. You'll have to ask your teacher for the full explanation. We won't train you to just fight senselessly.m You'll know when to fight and when to back down. We don't want to train someone who will just fight because they're told to. You will have to pick your own battles but we expect you to listen to others' commands and understand the reasons for doing things—that is for later, if you do decide to work for us."

Tsuna stared at the man as if he had grown another head. "Why…are you offering me this again? Are you taking in any random kid you find on the streets?"

"No, I'm not! I just took a liking to you. And you have potential. I said that before, haven't I?" _It seems a waste to let you live out your life as a common person when you could be so much more,_ the man thought.

"O-Oh…who are these teachers that you keep on talking about?"

"They're friends of the Vongola. Some of them, like me, are Vongola's Guardians. They're the best."

"If you guys are the best…why are you training me? No matter how much potential you say I have, I can't believe that you guys will take your time to train _me_."

"I may be called the Rain Guardian now," the man said, "but I once led a simple life. I used to help my dad run a restaurant and deliver the food on a bike. I used to own the second-last ranking at my school and I was the star of the baseball team. I still love to hang out with my friends, go to the beach, and play pranks on them even though I'm in the Mafia. The same goes for my friends. We can recognise a kindred spirit when we see one."

The Rain Guardian grinned and ruffled Tsuna's hair, pressing the boy's head until he was unbalanced.

"Hiie!"

"So, what do you say?"

"I-I guess I can try…"

"Great! When are you available?"

Tsuna blanched. "Uh…U-Uh…U-Well, I uh…have school…and…work…and…lessons."

"…Lessons are different from school?"

"Yeah…"

"Hnnn…"

 _Wh-What do I do now?_ Tsuna thought. _I can't just quit work!_

"What if you resigned—" _I knew he'd say that!_ "—And we paid you?"

 _Wait…what?_ "You'd pay me? Why would you do that?"

The Rain Guardian gave him a surprised look. "Why not? You need the money, we want to teach you, we can afford to pay you, so why _shouldn't_ we?" The man received a blank stare. "Say something, kid."

Tsuna watched the Rain Guardian's expression and couldn't help but laugh at how _normal_ the man thought the offer was. He held his stomach as he laughed at how ridiculous the situation was as well as how lucky he was. "I-I'll take you up on it," Tsuna said.

The Rain Guardian beamed a smile at him. "That's great! Do you think you can start today?"

"What— _now!?"_ Tsuna shrieked.

"Do you have to be somewhere?"

"N….No….?"

"Great. Just follow me. I'll give you a ride."

"A ride?" Tsuna glanced down the street before following the man deeper into the alley. He avoided the litter on the pavement and the leaking garbage bags as they turned a corner, not sure what to expect. They continued walking until they reached an intersection that led to another alley. The Rain Guardian gestured for Tsuna to follow and he went into it.

This was no different from the one before, though there was something covered by a black tarp which the Rain Guardian pulled off with a flourish.

Tsuna's eyes widened as he saw the vehicle. It was a simple hover-cycle in a dark shade of blue and white with the licence plate clear and visible on the front and back. The Rain Guardian folded the tarp and stored it under the seat.

"Hop on, kid. And you'd better wear this—I don't remember when minors stop being minors," he said and tossed a helmet to Tsuna. Tsuna snatched it out of the air and held it securely, afraid to drop the brand-spanking new helmet. Upon closer inspection he realized that it was actually just well-cared for. Even with several scratches on the helmet, it would probably still sell for quite a high price because of the brand name.

He gingerly climbed on behind the man, not sure where they were going. He didn't even know why he placed so much trust in the man, but he hadn't done anything to Tsuna…yet.

"But I _do_ have school and work tomorrow!" Tsuna said as an afterthought, in case he was wrong about the man.

"Yeah, you said that already! You'll be back in time. Hold on tight."

" _HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE!"_ Tsuna almost flew off the hover-cycle as it came to life and shot out the way they entered. He latched onto the Rain Guardian's shirt as the streets whizzed by.

Never in his life had he been on such a fast-paced ride before. Even when Donato "borrowed" his sister's bike for a ride, they had taken it easy, knowing that they'd both be killed if she found it returned with even a single scratch.

The man merely laughed at Tsuna's scream, which left the boy's throat whenever they turned a corner or swerved between other vehicles on the streets.

After a few turns, Tsuna closed his eyes and didn't open them fully until the hover-cycle had come to a complete stop. They were parked outside a house in an upper-middle class area that Tsuna vaguely remembered being similar to his own, once upon a time.

He got off the bike and waited for the Rain Guardian to do the same before giving back the helmet.

"How'd you enjoy the ride?"

"It was okay," Tsuna said. _I never want to go on a bike with him again._

The man walked up to the house and pressed the doorbell. _"What?"_ said a man's voice from an intercom.

The Rain Guardian spoke into it.

The door clicked and slid open to the side. Once they were through, the door shut and locked itself behind them.

Tsuna removed his shoes and took his first good look of the house. It was large—that was to be expected—and opened up to a drawing room of sorts. In it held a black and shiny grand piano, set strategically in the room with a low table and couches filling up the rest of the room. One wall held a large cabinet, its display case filled with wine and wine glasses. The wall held landscape paintings that would ease or intrigue the minds of guests.

They passed the room to enter another, this one less decorated and more for comfort. The only one in the room was a small boy, tucked in a tiny ball on a couch near a bookcase. He had dark hair that was short enough to not be involved in any messy activities the boy might get himself into. The boy looked up mid-way flipping a colourful page to smile at the Rain Guardian.

"Ciao."

"Ciao," the Rain Guardian said. "Where is your father?"

"He's in his study."

"Thanks. Come on, Giotto."

Tsuna gave the child a nervous smile, one that was returned before the boy returned to his picture book. He and the Rain Guardian walked down a hallway and up a flight of stairs, lined with more pictures. When they reached the second landing, the man led Tsuna down the hall. All the internal doors were electronic, motion- or touch-sensitive, and easy to open, unlike his current apartment which was still using manual doors. The door they stopped in front of was old fashioned, with a door knob.

The man rapped on the door and without waiting for a reply, opened it. The inside of the study was quiet and smelled of old books and leather. Tsuna tried to take in everything at once. It wasn't lacking any modern technology, per say, but it was also well furnished with items that seemed to belong in previous decades, such as the iPhone 5s that was set next to a wall outlet to charge, or the remote control and television set that was placed on the opposite side of the wall.

The man they were here to see was standing in front of a screen, studying the graphics displayed on it. He commanded: "Save and shut down," when the Rain Guardian entered the room. He approached them with a bored expression, first looking at the man and then at Tsuna, his gaze staying on Tsuna's face for a long moment.

"This is Giotto," the Rain Guardian said.

Tsuna gulped and tried to smile at the stranger who only stared at him in an uncaring way.

"Giotto, this is Vongola's Cloud Guardian."

"Should you be revealing that to him?" the Cloud Guardian asked the Rain Guardian.

The Rain Guardian laughed and waved off the concern. "Boss won't mind. Giotto has agreed to take on our training. I've also promised that he'll be paid—" The Cloud Guardian raised an eyebrow. "—And will learn from many of us. You promised to organize everything, right?"

The Cloud Guardian nodded. "The others will be arriving in five minutes. You will stay until the meeting is over." It wasn't a question. After all, the Rain Guardian was the one who brought in the stray, so he had better stay until the matter was settled.

The Rain Guardian reassured his fellow guardian smoothly and told Tsuna, "We'll meet with the others in the meeting room. You'll like them."

 _Don't be so sure!_ Tsuna thought as he gave the intimidating Cloud Guardian one last look before following the Rain Guardian further into the house and into a spacious room with a black table placed in its centre.

"Take a seat—" the Rain Guardian started to say as the doors behind them opened again.

"Yo."

Tsuna whirled around and saw another man, though he looked significantly younger than the others; while the Rain and Cloud Guardians looked like they were in their late thirties or early forties, Tsuna estimated this man's age to be ten years or so younger than them.

"Giotto, this is our Lightning Guardian."

"N-Nice to meet you," Tsuna said. This man didn't look much more excited about meeting him than the Cloud Guardian did.

The Lightning Guardian nodded and took a seat. Giotto sat at the edge of his own seat, eying the others nervously. The door opened again to reveal a man and woman, who were the Mist Guardians.

 _These are the high ranking guardians...They're so weird,_ Tsuna thought. _And the names…rain, cloud, lightning, mist…what's next—sun and moon?_

The two newcomers settled near the other end of the table. Tsuna was sitting nearest to the doors, with the Rain Guardian next to him. Across the table were the two Mist Guardians. Between Tsuna's right and the Lightning Guardian's left were two empty seats that took up the remaining space.

The doors opened and revealed the Cloud Guardian who had an irritated expression on his face. He looked at the seats and opted for the one next to the Rain Guardian. Coming in right after him were two men arguing with each other. They quieted when they spotted a stranger in their midst and took the two seats next to Tsuna.

"They are the Sun and Storm Guardians," the Rain Guardian introduced. Tsuna nodded to the two men and gulped when the Storm Guardian glared at him.

"Oh!" the Sun Guardian exclaimed, "is he the one who was with you in the market?"

"Yeah, he's the one who shot the Puniamo."

 _Puniamo…that's the other Mafia gang!_ Tsuna thought. _They're supposed to be the ones who went after the police, right?!_

"And now you want us to train him…" the Storm Guardian said and eyed the teen. Before the meeting was planned, they had researched the boy. What they found wasn't the worst thing that they've seen, but it wasn't all sunshine and bunnies either. Losing his parents at a young age and then realizing that all their money was stolen left the kid and his grandfather in a tight spot. In order to survive, they had moved to an apartment in one of the worse-off neighbourhoods to find cheap rent. Not long after that, the kid's grandfather had passed away as well, from cancer that would've been treated if they had the money.

Now, the kid was living on his own—god knows how he avoided social services for this long—with a part-time job while going to school. He seemed to only be close to one person, a woman who lived on the seventh floor. While she may be a parental figure for the boy, he still got into trouble on the streets, which led to cuts, bruises, and sometimes broken bones. He had learned to fight dirty so he could get home with his wallet left untouched.

The Storm Guardian had to hand it to the boy: he knew how to survive on his own. But with that trick in the market, it's possible that he'd be wanted by the other Mafia gangs, for either recruitment or revenge.

"Let's set everything up then," the Storm Guardian said. "What is he going to learn?"

"Obviously boxing!" the Sun Guardian roared. Tsuna let out a small yelp and jumped in his seat.

"Not just boxing. He's going to need to know any other forms of combat," the Rain Guardian said. His expression darkened as he thought of the Puniamo. "Giotto, you should find a weapon that suits you and practice using it."

 _Wh-Why are they speaking as though I'm going to need one!?_

"We can leave that to Lal and Colonnello," the female Mist Guardian said.

"Okay," the Storm Guardian said with a nod as he jotted something down onto the tablet in front of him. "I will take care of his basic research skills. That will include recon—information gathering and how to use it properly. We'll see if he has any potential in strategizing. If he does, we'll bring in Shouichi."

"I can help with the information gathering," the female Mist Guardian said. "You have too much to do as the right-hand man."

The Storm Guardian scowled. "Will you be able to teach him properly?" The other guardians shared a look with each other. "What?" he demanded.

"We're worried that you might teach him too much."

The male Mist Guardian spoke up for the first time. "If you really want to do something, you can introduce him to the rings and flames."

"Oh, alright," the Storm Guardian said, giving another glare to his friends.

"I can fight him," the Cloud Guardian said.

"You want to fight small fry?" the male Mist Guardian said with a snort. "My, how your standards have fallen."

The Cloud Guardian's glare could have burned the male Mist Guardian on the spot. "I will only fight him after he has gone through training and has found a weapon of his choice."

The Lightning Guardian sighed. "This is such a bother. What am I going to do then?"

"You and I both know you don't want to do anything. For once, you won't have to," the Storm Guardian said, much to the Lightning Guardian's relief.

With most of the matters settled, the Rain Guardian turned to look at Tsuna. "Giotto, are you okay with these arrangements?"

Tsuna gulped. "Yes."

"And you do know that we're in the Mafia."

Tsuna hesitated before nodding.

"You're still okay with being connected to us?"

 _No…not really,_ Tsuna thought with a shiver. "If…I don't train…the Puniamo will be able to find me, and take revenge...that woman I shot—she was one of them, wasn't she? T-The Puniamo seem to like getting their revenge…"

The Storm Guardian snorted. "That's true enough."

"I-If you all don't mind…please…help me stay away from them?" Tsuna asked, knowing that he won't stand a chance against them if they decided to come after him.

"Don't worry about a thing," the Rain Guardian said.

The Cloud Guardian stood from his seat and gave them all a stern look. "Don't fight in my home. And don't ever come here again." He directed the last line at Tsuna.

"O-Okay!"

When the Cloud Guardian left the room, the Lightning Guardian snickered. "He was joking! Well, maybe. He usually doesn't mean it."

"S-So he doesn't actually kick you out of his house?" Tsuna asked.

The Lightning Guardian opened his mouth but closed it as he considered his answer. "It's better if you stay away for a while after he says something like that. Just be glad that he stopped threatening to kill people on a whim."

Tsuna nearly tripped over his own feet at that comment.

"I think we'll try to perfect your aim first," the Rain Guardian said as they all made their way down the stairs and out of the Cloud Guardian's home. "Then you'll learn the most important thing: how to defend yourself. That means we'll be meeting with Lal and Colonnello."

"Um…who are Lal and Colonnello…?"

"They are part of…the Vongola. They've been trained by…others…and will teach you how to lay traps and handle guns. Make sure you pay attention and don't piss them off."

"What happens if I do?"

"…Just don't," the Rain Guardian advised. He pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

"I'll speak with the boss," the Storm Guardian said. "The rest of you can go back to whatever you were doing. Don't you two have a plane to catch?" He looked at the Mist Guardians, who both shrugged and disappeared.

Tsuna walked into the Rain Guardian when they did so and screamed. "What was that!? Some sort of magic trick? A hologram?"

The Storm Guardian snorted as he walked ahead."They're our Mist Guardians, so of course they're going to show off their skills in manipulating the Mist," he said and unlocked his black car.

"Wait, I'm going with you," said the Lightning Guardian. He quickly got into the back seat of the car while the Sun Guardian sat in the front. The Storm Guardian rolled his eyes at the two of them before getting in himself.

"See you there, then," the Rain Guardian said and pocketed his phone. He glanced at Tsuna, who was still gaping at the spot where the Mist Guardians vanished. "What's up?"

"They—they just vanished into thin air! How did they do that?'

"Uh…I'll explain that to you some other time. Come on, I want you to meet Lal."

* * *

 **A/N:**

"Vongola Decimo" and "Guardians" aren't our beloved canon characters; they are OC. But you'll find that sometimes they react similarly to our canon Guardians. Remember: in this story, our canon Guardians are part of the Elgan Order (EO) and are "angels". That's why I refrain from referring to the Guardians by name, since I didn't give them any and I didn't want to confuse anyone.

Anyway...I'll see you guys next month!

 **Updated 2016-02-18th**

* * *

 _ **-LLM**_


	7. Chef Vongola

_Previously…_

Tension is rising between the Puniamo, the Cavallone, and the Vongola. Considering how Tsuna shot a Puniamo member, lives on Cavallone territory, and has the Vongola Tenth's protection, Tsuna's in the thick of it. He meets the rest of the Vongola Guardians, who promise to train him to fight.

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

 **~EO!~**

They watched as the Rain Guardian drove Tsuna to the Cloud Guardian's home and explained what Tsuna would be doing. They watched as they assigned tasks to each person and as Tsuna agreed to train with them.

They watched as Tsuna's future began to take him to an unknown end.

"Eto…Takeshi, they're going to meet with Lal Mirch and Colonnello now, right?"

"Eh! You're right! This is going to be fun to watch," Yamamoto said with a laugh. He was sitting to Chrome's left while Mukuro was standing behind them, crossing his arms.

"Kufufufu…there was a time when Tsunayoshi was slapped until he was unconscious by that woman."

Chrome and Yamamoto stared up at Mukuro with incredulous faces. Mukuro smirked.

"Mukuro…have you finished looking through the archives already?"

"Kufufu. And there she goes."

Yamamoto looked down to Earth, forgetting his question already.

 _"You're late!"_ Lal Mirch shouted at the Rain Guardian when his hover-cycle came to a stop in front of her. They were in a fenced off area that had the sign "DANGER—PRIVATE PROPERTY—DO NOT ENTER" on every entrance. Beyond the fence was a forest and a path wide enough for a four wheeled van. They had come to a stop in a clearing near the cliff.

 _"Sorry, there was more traffic than I thought there would be."_

Lal didn't waste time to call him out on his lie. _"There's no traffic to this part of town!"_ She turned her glare to Tsuna who was following the Rain Guardian off the bike. He squeaked and hid behind the man.

 _"And you! What noise did you just make!?"_

"She seems…scary," Chrome said.

"Yeah, I wonder if she always screams at her friends like that."

"You consider them her friends?" Mukuro asked with a hint of surprise in his voice. "I wouldn't."

 _"I-I didn't make any noise,"_ Tsuna said and raised his hands over his head to block any attacks.

Lal huffed and looked at the Rain Guardian. _"How much time are you giving me to train him?"_

The Rain Guardian smirked. _"I think a few weeks should be good enough since he needs to learn other things as well."_

Lal stared into his eyes, clearing not buying the idea that this brat only needed a few weeks to be fully trained by _the_ Lal Mirch. She returned the smirk and accepted the silent challenge. _"Very well. Now leave. I will handle the brat with Colonnello."_

The Rain Guardian nodded and gave Tsuna a pat on the shoulder. _"Good luck! I'll see you soon."_

" _If_ Tsunayoshi will last that long," Mukuro mused.

Chrome swallowed as Lal began to lay out weapons in front of the boy and lectured him on each of them. Whenever she asked Tsuna to recite their qualities, he received a few backhanded slaps for every wrong answer.

Yamamoto winced while Mukuro let out a long laugh. Chrome relaxed when Colonnello came, since he looked as easygoing as the Rain Guardian and would probably balance out Lal's ruthlessness.

 _"Lal!"_

 _"You're late!"_

 _"No I'm not, I'm just in time for the main event, kora!"_ Colonnello said, grinning. Lal glared at him but her face reddened when he directed that smile at her.

 _"You, Giotto! Colonnello's going to show you how to aim and fight with the weapons!"_

Tsuna swallowed his nervousness and nodded. Lal stepped back and Colonnello introduced himself to Tsuna.

 _"Hey Giotto, I'm Colonnello, Lal's ex-student, now partner in crime, kora!"_

 _"Colonnello!"_

 _"I'm joking, kora!"_ Colonnello cried out while he dodged a bullet. Tsuna took a step back from him and looked nervously at Lal, who still held the steaming rifle in her hands.

 _"Anyway,"_ Colonnello said and picked up the first weapon. He handed it to Tsuna. _"Lal told you what the guns were and how to use them, right?"_

Tsuna nodded and showed Colonnello that he knew how to hold the gun and how to pull the trigger.

 _"Just follow what I do for now, kora!"_ Colonnello said and raised the gun to eye level. Tsuna glanced at him before doing the same and cocked the gun the same time Colonnello did.

Both Colonnello and Lal suck in a breath in surprise when he did so, since Colonnello didn't really give him time to copy him before the boy did the same.

Tsuna simply waited for Colonnello's next step while he held the gun steadily.

Colonnello nodded and in a blink of an eye he shot at a tree some distance away. _"I want you to hit as close to my first hole as possible, kora."_

They all stared at Tsuna intensely as he nodded and aimed his gun at the target. Then he squeezed the trigger and jolted slightly.

 _"Whoa!"_ he said in response to the jolt he felt.

 _"You'll get used to it, kora!"_

Tsuna nodded and taking pointers from Colonnello, he fired again. This time his shot actually grazed the tree.

Once he got the feel of all the weapons available, he was told to choose the one he felt most comfortable with. Then he practiced with that one for the rest of the day. Colonnello gave him a drive back to town and also drove him back to the training area the next day.

"Maybe the shot in the market was a fluke," Yamamoto said.

"Or extreme circumstances brought out his past memories," Chrome whispered. _Which should have been impossible._

 _BANG!_

While they talked, Tsuna had gotten ready and was firing at the actual red and white target ring rather than a tree the target was pinned to.

Chrome fisted her shaking hands. "…Did you see that?" she asked. "Did you _see_ that?"

"He…" Yamamoto swallowed. "Oh."

 _"Colonnello_." Lal's tone was so serious that Colonnello turned to her with weary eyes and saw that she wasn't looking at him, but at the target.

He followed her gaze and his jaw dropped. _"That's amazing, kora!"_ He threw his arm over Tsuna's shoulders and made him stare at his own work. _"Look at that, it's almost dead centre, kora!"_

"That's not normal, is it?" Yamamoto asked. He looked at his friends nervously and looked back at Tsuna. "It's only his second day of practice."

Mukuro pointed out, "He was this good in the market. There's no reason why it couldn't happen again after being exposed to guns for a longer time."

Yamamoto was shaking his head. "I take everything I said back…I thought that was beginner's luck, but this isn't normal."

"Perhaps Boss…his memories—at least, his muscle memory, hasn't been erased for this mission."

"Kufufufufu. There's nothing to worry about," Mukuro said. "Besides, it's Byakuran's fault for not waiting before sending him off to another mission."

Chrome cringed and scanned their surroundings for eavesdroppers. "Mukuro-kun, someone could have heard you."

Mukuro shrugged with a smirk.

"Do you think the other angels have realized this?" Yamamoto asked.

Chrome frowned. "Katsuro thought Boss was just a smart child when he saw what he did. Others will probably think the same unless they find more evidence of him not acting like a _normal_ thirteen year old boy."

Yamamoto nodded and watched Tsuna take a break for lunch with Colonnello, who had warmed up to him, and Lal, who was not as biting, before he decided to take a short nap.

"Ne, Chrome, Mukuro, I'll be back later today," Yamamoto said with a yawn.

Chrome stood. "I'm planning to do some reading. Mukuro-kun, will you stay to watch?"

"Kufufu. No, I'll be somewhere else. Tsunayoshi is doing well enough without us fretting over his every odd move."

They stretched their large, golden wings and took flight.

 **~EO!~**

* * *

 **One week later…**

"Boss!"

Vongola Decimo was standing on his balcony looking over the city when his Rain Guardian entered his study.

"Hey! You're here just in time. Will you join me for lunch?"

"Sure," the Rain Guardian said with a grin. "I haven't eaten yet."

Decimo and his guardian went to the counter that divided Decimo's study from the small kitchen available for whenever he wanted a quick bite to eat without disturbing the kitchen staff.

"Are you craving for anything?" Decimo asked as he stuck his head into the fridge.

"Not really."

Decimo hummed thoughtfully and began to pull out ingredients for a sandwich. "I'll just make us something then."

"Do you want help?"

"No—you stay out of it," Decimo commanded and waved his chef's knife at his Rain Guardian's face, an unconscious habit he picked up from his dear mother, Nana.

It made the Rain Guardian laugh and he resigned to let Decimo make their lunch, since preparing food was one of Decimo's many ways of relieving stress.

"By the way, how is Giotto? You told me he started training a week ago."

"He's incredible—he just absorbs everything you teach him. Well, that started happening after the second or third time he trained with Lal and Colonnello. We already knew that he was a natural at shooting, so it was just a small matter in perfecting his skills and since he has such a strong foundation, it was easy to introduce him to other weapons." _We still don't know where he got that foundation from,_ the Rain Guardian thought.

"We split his time with Lal so that he could learn from our Mists. They're still teaching him basic recon skills, without the use of illusions, since we don't know what flames he could use yet—we're planning on introducing those to him today or tomorrow."

Decimo placed the sandwiches in the mini oven and set the timer as he leaned back to pour them both water. "He's doing well then. It must be because most of you are helping him."

"We can't help it. It's been a while since we've seen someone who has that much potential. Although to be honest, I was hoping that I wasn't imagining the potential, since the only thing I saw him do when I met him was shoot someone. But the way how he did it…anyway, it was only after his training with Lal and Colonnello that we realized exactly how good he was."

"It's weird," Decimo said, "Giotto told you he never shot a gun in his life." Decimo imitated pointing a gun with the chef's knife in his hand. Then he twirled it and pretended to holster it, western styled.

"And yet Lal and Colonnello already gave him a passing mark," the Rain Guardian said with raised eyebrows. "You know from personal experience how hard it is to complete training with those two."

Decimo shivered and glanced at the oven before saying, "It's good that you found him. The Puniamo was shot in the shoulder, you say?"

"Yup."

Decimo opened his mouth to speak just as the windows to his study and the one next to the kitchen shattered inward. The sound of glass breaking jerked the two men out of their thoughts. Though they shielded their faces as the pieces of glass flew toward them, a few of the larger pieces of glass sliced through their clothes. Dark smoke from five different canisters filled the room just as Decimo tried to reach for the only available weapons: the knives. The last clear image he saw was of five figures in grey, armed to the teeth with box weapons, tumbling in from the sky.

* * *

 **A/N:** I figured that I would post this, since we were just talking about fanfiction in my lecture this week and it amused me.

 **Updated 2016-02-26th**

* * *

 ** _-LLM_**


	8. Plans No One Tells Tsuna About

_Previously..._

Lal and Colonnello teach Tsuna how to use weapons. A week later, the Rain Guardian and Decimo are in Decimo's office when five intruders attack...

(I copied a bit of the last chapter onto this one so it won't be as disjointed)

* * *

"It's weird," Decimo said, "Giotto told you he never shot a gun in his life." Decimo imitated pointing a gun with the chef's knife in his hand. Then he twirled it and pretended to holster it, western styled.

"And yet Lal and Colonnello already gave him a passing mark," the Rain Guardian added with raised eyebrows. "You know from personal experience how hard it is to complete training with those two."

Decimo shivered and glanced at the oven before saying, "It's good that you found him. The Puniamo was shot in the shoulder, you say?"

"Yup."

Decimo opened his mouth to speak just as the windows to his study and the one next to the kitchen shattered inward. Dark smoke began to fill the room, causing Decimo and the Rain Guardian to cough as they tried to cover their noses. The last clear image they saw was of five figures in grey, armed to the teeth with box weapons, tumbling in from the sky.

"Boss!"

"Don't worry about me," Decimo said. He activated his Dying Will Mode and began the attack. He met the first intruder head on, dodging a fist that would have caved in his face. Decimo almost opened his eyes in shock but willed himself to keep them screwed shut. He heard from his left his Rain Guardian's sword and the slicing their enemies' weapons. A second later, muffled thumps of useless metal hit the carpeted floor.

Decimo stepped around the counter. The intruder didn't hesitate to jump over the obstacle. Decimo leaned back to avoid another hit and decided to test his theory. He went on the defence and retreated to his study where he heard his Rain Guardian fighting. On his way there, Decimo tipped to the right and caught himself at the last second. He waited to hear the intruder hit the couch but the intruder only stopped and did a wide swipe with his double-pointed spear.

Decimo charged in and grabbed one of the intruder's hands. He kept squeezing until the intruder grunted—a woman's voice—and then twisted, waiting for the intruder to open her hand.

The intruder held on. Decimo heard a click and he heard a blade cut through air as it made its way to his neck. He brought up his chef's knife—it stayed on the spear for a second before it slid down to the intruder's hand. Decimo let it carry on, flicked his wrist, and sliced the woman's wrist.

The intruder howled and let go of both parts of the spear. Decimo threw his knife toward the third intruder, pinning the enemy to the wall. He held onto the one he cut and waited for the smoke to clear.

The Rain Guardian opened his eyes and looked directly at Decimo, who was scowling. The Rain Guardian grinned. "Did I just win more fights than you, Boss?"

Decimo's scowl deepened. "Careful. You're starting to sound like a certain Cloud and Mist Guardian." There was no need to let the intruders know that Vongola Decimo occasionally misplaced his gloves.

All three of his Rain Guardian's opponents were unconscious, leaving conscious only the one Decimo held up and the one who was pulling out the knife that pinned his jacket to the wall.

" _Don't_ move," Decimo told the man. The man froze. Decimo set the one he held on the ground, trusting his Rain Guardian to take charge of the intruder. Decimo yanked the knife out and the man fell in a heap, not moving a single limb to break his fall.

"Smart move," the Rain Guardian said. "You just made Boss throw his favourite knife into the wall so he's probably very angry."

Scowl still in place, Decimo examined his chef's knife. "This is disgusting. I can't use this anymore, even if I disinfect it."

"Y-You cut me! I'm bleeding to death here," the woman said, her left hand pressed to her right.

"Then you shouldn't have made me use it," Decimo said. He paced toward the woman, who tried to stare him in the eyes but kept eying the knife Decimo still held.

Decimo's eyes flickered to the woman's wrist. His Sun Guardian should be rushing in with his other guardians soon—the woman was never in any danger of dying.

"Oh, you won't die," he said. "Don't worry. I'll keep you alive, though you'd wish you were dead. Let's start with names, shall we?"

The woman turned away from Decimo and firmed her lips. Decimo sighed and searched the clothes of the woman's allies. "Nothing. But it doesn't take much to guess where you're from." He pulled up one of the men's shirt and revealed the Puniamo's emblem.

Decimo met the woman's eyes, then the man's by the wall. He said, "If someone doesn't start talking, I'm going to call Dino Cavallone right now. I have his number on speed dial." Decimo pulled out his phone. "Care to call my bluff?"

The colour drained from their faces.

"Oh, so you've heard of what happened," the Rain Guardian said with false cheer. "I suppose you would. After all, it happened just a few months ago. That's more than enough time for word to spread."

"I'm sure it feels like it only happened this morning to Dino," Decimo said. He tossed his knife high in the air. Two pair of eyes were fixated on it. Then Decimo caught it, the light reflecting off the knife's edge. "After all, it's not every day your only daughter gets killed."

"We didn't have anything to do with it!"

"Does it look like I care?" Decimo showed them his phone's screen. "The Cavallone Boss is just one phone call away." Decimo's thumb hovered over the call button.

"We're looking for the boy," they blurted.

Decimo raised his eyebrows. "Boy?"

"The boy who shot a Puniamo," the woman said.

Decimo rested his thumb on the edge of his phone. "Keep talking."

* * *

Tsuna rode his bicycle up the lane and braked in front of the large mansion, protected by intimidating looking gates. He got off his bike and walked a bit closer, looking through the bars to observe the beauty of the mansion. The front yard was massive and the mansion itself looked as though it was built a few centuries ago, though it still looked in top shape. He could see the white stone steps leading to the front porch which could easily fit ten people comfortably. The door itself was tall and dark blue.

He raised his arm and winced—after becoming, according to Lal, a "sufficient shooter", she decided that they could improve on his fighting skills as well, since one couldn't rely entirely on weapons. And so, his body was a canvas of colourful bruises. He was glad to have a break from them for at least a week before needing to go back for "proper training". The thought made him shiver.

It brought on his current issue. He looked at the directions written on his arm in pen and confirmed that this was the place he was to meet the Storm Guardian, his next tutor. He hesitantly pressed the button and waited.

 _"Yes?"_ an unknown voice from the intercom said seconds after.

"Oh! Hi. I'm Giotto…" He gave the camera a wave. There was a pause before the man spoke again.

 _"Good morning, Giotto. You are expected. Please make your way up the drive. If you continue along passing the front door, you will see a garage. You may leave your bike there and I will meet you shortly."_ There was a _click_ and it disconnected. At the same time the gates opened automatically, just enough for Tsuna and his bike to get through. Seeing that it would take a while to walk there, he straddled his bike and pedalled. He slowed as he neared the front door, if only to admire the designs on it and on the architecture, and continued on slowly. As he rounded a second bend around the mansion, he saw the garage, which looked more like a one storey house. One of the garage doors was pulled up and a man in his late twenties in a black uniform was there waiting for him.

 _Is that a butler? I can't believe that people still have butlers these days,_ Tsuna thought. "Good morning."

The butler nodded and returned the greeting. "You may leave your bike here. It will be brought to you when you leave."

"Thank you."

The garage door rolled down by remote control and locked itself. "If you would follow me?" the butler said, gesturing towards the open door connecting the garage to the mansion.

Once he was through the door, it slid shut and the music he thought he was imagining became clearer. It was from a piano. The hall they walked through was bright and cheerful with a blue carpet laid out for them to walk on. They approached the music and Tsuna smiled sadly, wondering who was playing such a wonderful piece, despite the sorrowful tone it had taken.

The butler began to walk up a set of stairs but Tsuna paused as he heard the music coming from a nearby room. He looked around and saw an open door. He could just make out two people sitting in front of a grand piano. The pianists were a girl and boy a few years older than himself. They both had the same hair and figure. If he wasn't sure of himself, Tsuna would have thought that he was still suffering from the mild concussion Lal had lovingly given him a few days ago.

"Ah. I see that you've noticed our young master and lady of this house. Twins. They love music in all forms. Come along. You may speak with them at a later hour. Our destination is the library, on the third floor."

"Sorry," Tsuna said and hurried up the stairs. He didn't get to see much more of the house, since they only had to walk a few paces before reaching the doors leading to the library. The butler knocked and opened them.

"Sir, Giotto is here."

"Thanks, Vito. You can leave us now."

The butler closed the doors and Tsuna was left to gape at the large library. The doors were soundproof and blocked the music from entering. There was a cool breeze, keeping the library at a constant temperature. In front of him was a large and empty desk surrounded by a dozen chairs. On either side were rows and rows of shelves that seemed endless as he walked towards the voice of the Storm Guardian, somewhere to the left of the library. His shoes were muffled by the carpets and he winced when he heard a page flip noisily.

Finally, he reached the end of the shelves and was met by another large table that was situated a few paces from an unlit fire place. On the other end was a large window which allowed sunlight to enter, though none of it hit the books on the shelves.

Tsuna focused onto the man sitting on a couch with a book in his hands and waited nervously near the table.

The Storm Guardian closed his book and stood to meet him.

"Right, so I'll be teaching you about flames."

 _Flames? Is he crazy?_

"Over the course of this week, you'll learn where they originated from, how to use them, and how to recognise them. It's the most modern form of fighting in our world at the moment and it's important that you keep up if you want to survive a battle with another person who's as knowledgeable about flames as the Vongola."

Not knowing what else to do, Tsuna nodded and followed the guardian to sit at the desk.

"Since I'm told to condense things for you and to not make your life complicated, though I don't see how I could ever do that," he muttered the last part, "I've already taken out the books that you'll need to use for information, though most of what I teach you will also come from my lecturing, based on what I know and _you_ practicing how to form your flame. Do you understand?"

"Y-Yeah…" _What the hell are you talking about!?_

"Then let's get started."

For the rest of the two hours he spent sitting in the library, the Storm Guardian made Tsuna's head spin in confusion from having theories and terminology pounded into his head. They went through history of the rings, the rings themselves, box weapons, flames, flame types and colours— _everything._

"Now," the Storm Guardian said, "I want you to take these and put them on."

Tsuna opened the box that was set before him and picked out one of the seven rings. They were all simply in design and had a precious stone embedded into the band. Each had a different colour to represent the different flames.

"Put them on," the Storm Guardian urged and tapped his fingers against the table, waiting for the boy to do so.

Tsuna quickly placed three of the rings onto his fingers: Mist, Cloud, and Lightning.

"Show me your resolve."

 _My resolve..._ He thought hard and long of what made him do what he does but nothing happened.

"Try on the others," the Storm Guardian said and gestured towards Tsuna's other hand.

On went the Sun, Rain, Storm, and Sky rings.

Tsuna pondered his resolve. "I don't know if I have the right resolve or if it's good enough."

"It is whatever you feel strongly for. It can be anything as long as you care for it. Try again!"

"O-Okay, okay!" This time Tsuna thought of the other people who lived where he did. He thought of Diana, the girl he occasionally greeted, though it has been a few months since he saw even her shadow. She was always walking around making sure that the people who lived in Cavallone's territory were safe.

 _Come to think about it, no one has ever died of starvation or otherwise in our neighbourhood._ _She always helped them before it go that far._ And Tsuna realised that he wanted to help her. He couldn't live for himself. There were people who were in worse conditions than he was. All those men who attacked him for his money or food could find it in less violent ways, as long as there were people willing to help them. He could be one of those people.

He put his heart into it and imagined his resolve turning into the flames. He gritted his teeth so hard that his jaw started to ache, but the ring remained unchanged.

The Storm Guardian sighed. "Keep trying. Lots of people need months to light a ring. Once you know, come back and tell me what your flame is. And don't lose any of those," he warned. "Especially the Sky ring."

Tsuna furrowed his brows and held the box of rings close to him. "What if they never light up? What if I don't have a flame!?"

"Don't be ridiculous! Haven't you been listening? Everyone is born with one!"

"Hiiie—O-Okay! I'll keep trying," Tsuna said and rose from his seat quickly, almost knocking it over.

The Storm Guardian's phone rang with the ringtone of calming ocean waves, a ringtone Tsuna didn't expect the man to use. To his surprise, the Storm Guardian shot to his feet and answered the call immediately. "What's the emergency? _What?_ You have to be joking! In broad daylight?"

The Storm Guardian started for the door. "Oh, Giotto: we're finished for now. You will be going to someone else tomorrow."

"I thought I was with you for a week. You finished teaching me everything _already?"_

The Storm Guardian scowled. "There's nothing more to teach you until you can show me a flame on a damn ring! I'll send you the address for tomorrow's location," he said and ran, leaving Tsuna standing without a clue as to what happened.

* * *

 **~EO!~**

 _"…There!"_ Tsuna shouted and threw a powdered ball towards the Mist Guardian who was concealing herself using illusions.

She reappeared with a white spot of powder on her shirt. She smiled at the teen. _"Very good. I think you're getting the hang of it. What gave it away?"_

 _"There was something off about the colour of the wall you were standing in front of,"_ Tsuna said.

 _"Good. Did you notice anything else? Ah. Here is where we need to improve. You can't judge where something is hidden only by the colour difference. That colour difference could simply be because the walls were painted that way._

 _"I also left my shadow behind while I concealed my body—"_

 _"What! I didn't even notice that!"_

She smiled patiently. _"You must look at everything."_

"He's really good with illusions!" Yamamoto exclaimed.

Chrome jolted and righted herself with her wings, which appeared at her command. "Takeshi, you startled me."

Yamamoto laughed sheepishly and apologised. "I thought you heard us coming."

Chrome looked beyond Yamamoto but didn't see anyone else. "Who else is with you?"

"Eh…Well, I accidentally…actually, never mind that. Mukuro is hell bent on finding me and I ran here. I must have lost him along the way!" he said, sounding astonished at his own luck.

"Why is he trying to find you?"

Yamamoto gave a smile and a silent shrug. "A-Anyway, I should get going. I'm sure he'll think to come here. Tsuna has been training for a week, hasn't he?"

Chrome straightened at the sudden change in topic. "Hai…Boss has gone through training with Lal—that, you know. He also learned about flames and illusions. I think he will be finished soon, once he finds out what his resolve is."

"He's taking a while, isn't he?"

"It seems so," Chrome said softly. "I just hope that it isn't because of something else that is causing him to not light the rings."

Yamamoto frowned, knowing what she was talking about. Angels who had their blood awakened could not wield flames. No one knew why, but they believed that it was because their own powers as an angel disrupted the flames that coursed through a human body.

Yamamoto grinned. "I'm sure Tsuna just hasn't found his resolve yet!" He glanced over his shoulder, sensing his other friend. "I'm off now. See you later. And keep me posted!"

Chrome watched him go. Minutes after, Mukuro landed hard on the ground, dispelling the layer of clouds surrounding them.

Mukuro wasted no time in asking, "Have you seen Takeshi?"

"He left…" Chrome blinked owlishly. "Mukuro-kun, why are you after him?"

"He let Katsuro get away," he said with a smirk. "Kufufufu…That bastard dared to accuse me for siding with the Fallen Angels. Just when I was about to teach him a lesson for mistaking an ally for an enemy, Takeshi stopped me. So I thought I'd go after him since I was in the mood."

"Mukuro-kun…" Chrome sighed at her friend's reasoning.

"Kufufufu…I'll be right back."

Chrome raised a wing to fan away the clouds disrupting her vision and went back to study her boss' movements.

 **~EO!~**

* * *

 **One week later…**

"Ciao, Giotto!"

Tsuna gaped at the Rain Guardian, who was the one he was to meet inside the office. The Cloud Guardian had given him the location and he had dutifully arrived at the memorized hour, not expecting to see the Rain Guardian again so soon. He was expecting another one of the guardians, after his encounter with so many others.

"C-Ciao," Tsuna said and closed the doors.

"Here, sit down. How did your training go?"

 _It was torture, not training,_ Tsuna wanted to cry out. "It was hard, but I learned a lot from them. But I'm still having trouble with getting a flame to appear." He raised his hands, which were still decorated with the different rings, just in case he came across a strong resolve while he was training.

He was self conscious about the accessories and took them off whenever he went to school or work.

"That might be a problem," the Rain Guardian murmured. "Although only a few Mafia families know how to use rings and box weapons, it's slowly becoming something that the smaller Mafia families use as well. Though they are still a minority, you might encounter them."

"I-I might?" Tsuna squeaked.

The Rain Guardian raised his eyebrows. "Yes, I was thinking of having you help us as a bodyguard in the future. We _are_ paying you, after all."

Tsuna's jaw dropped. "B-But I thought you were only paying me to just be trained."

"We were. But now, your training is mostly complete. You've learned the basics of all but fighting with rings. All that's left is practice. And so I ask you: would you like to work for me? It means working for the Mafia."

"I've met a lot of Mafiosi since I've met you," he told the Rain Guardian. "I actually like them. They might be rude, violent, or just—" Tsuna's eyes widened when he realised who he was talking to. "I'm sorry! I don't mean to be rude! That's not what I mean. What I meant was…well, it's just that they're nice!"

The Rain Guardian chuckled and leaned back in his chair. "It's alright! But you like them. That's a good thing. Just remember that there are a lot more of us who aren't as… _nice._ But I didn't ask you to come here just to chat."

Tsuna gave him a wry smile. "Are you going to train me in something else as well?"

The man roared with laughter. "Oh really? What gave it away?"

"Every time I'm told to go somewhere else, it's for training."

The man shook his head. "No, Giotto. We won't be training. You're here to meet someone. He's—that should be him," he said when someone knocked on the door. "Come in!"

"Hey," the man said once the doors opened and he saw the two occupants. "You're Giotto, aren't you?"

Tsuna gave the man a hesitant smile. "Y-Yeah. That's m-me."

The man stuck his hand out. "I'm Vongola Decimo."

Tsuna gasped and gave the man another look. He was tall. That was the first thing he noticed. And he was dressed casually with two rings on his outstretched hand.

 _This is the boss of Vongola? He's the tenth Vongola Boss?!_ Tsuna thought. _Holy crap, am I supposed to do something? Why is he meeting me in the first place?!_

Tsuna quickly shook the man's hand. Vongola Decimo's hand was warm and rough. He could feel several calluses when they shook hands and thought of his own hands which were soft in comparison.

"Are you two going to remain standing?" the Rain Guardian asked with a raised eyebrow. He himself had moved from behind his desk to sit on the couch.

Decimo laughed and gestured for Tsuna to sit.

"He finished his training," the Rain Guardian told his boss.

Decimo nodded satisfactorily. "Then I have something you should know about, Giotto. Do you remember the woman you shot in the market a while back?"

Tsuna shivered. "I remember." _I'm not sure how I'm supposed to forget that._

"Okay. That makes things easier. She's after you."

 _"WHAT?!"_

"It's fine. Just sit down," the Rain Guardian said reassuringly.

Tsuna looked at them both and collapsed into his seat. "Please tell me you're playing some sort of prank on me."

"It's not a prank," Decimo said. "I'm telling the truth. I'm afraid you're going to have to leave here for a while."

"L-Leave?"

"I gave you Vongola's protection, meaning that none of the other Mafiosi will hurt you. And they haven't. But now, I'm afraid one family in particular might risk angering the Vongola in order to hurt us."

Tsuna clutched his head. "What are you talking about?" he exclaimed. "What family? Why now?"

While the Rain Guardian did his best to calm the boy down, Decimo remained silent, wondering how much he should tell the boy. The boy wasn't close to anyone at all. He didn't have any family or close friends, from what his guardians had told him. Considering everything, he didn't have loyalties toward anyone.

"Giotto," he said. "Will you join the Vongola?"

"—and what happens if—what?" Tsuna stared at the boss. "Will I join the Vongola…?"

The boss nodded, watching the boy's facial expression change from confusion to comprehension and to hesitation. He was thinking it over.

"Are you seriously asking him now?" the Rain Guardian asked.

Decimo looked surprised. "Should I have waited?"

"…He's panicking over something that was brought on to him by the Vongola and you're asking him to join us."

"Oh. Sorry." Decimo looked sheepish as he addressed Tsuna. "I was just thinking about it and thought that I should ask. I'm supposed to ask."

"I think you should explain what's happening before you ask him to join us."

"What _is_ happening?" Tsuna wanted to know. To be honest, he thought that he was already part of the Vongola, since he was training with their guardians already. He didn't know that it had to be made official. It made him wonder if anyone really had a choice in the matter, since from the movies, if the Mafia wanted you, they'd get you. No questions asked.

"It started a while back, when the Puniamo kidnapped someone who was allied to the Vongola. Her father was a friend of mine and everyone took it personally when she was taken. And when we finally received a tip of where they left her…" _She was beyond help. Dead,_ Decimo thought, clenching his fists. "From then on, our ally vowed vengeance on the Puniamo and the Vongola supported them.

"A week ago, we received word that the woman you shot was back on her feet looking for you, the shooter. They found out that you were part of the Vongola, officially or unofficially, it didn't matter to her.

"When you were travelling from one location to the other, she attempted to ambush you but we were ready for that and intervened, taking her and her accomplices."

"The Puniamo are itching to do something against us," the Rain Guardian said when his boss showed no indication of continuing the story. "And we're afraid that they're planning on targeting you again. The Puniamo isn't a small Mafia family. They have a lot of power, though still not as much as the Vongola and our allies. They make up for it with their ruthlessness. We thought—and we hope that you agree—that you would be safer overseas away from all of this. You can still continue your education, though it might be more challenging. You can treat it as a vacation as well."

Tsuna took a moment to digest all that was said. First, there seemed to be something that sounded a lot like the start of World War Two— _or was it one?—_ and then _he_ was tossed into it thanks to them using him as bait, and now they were after him. _Again._

That word echoed in his mind. How did he miss it before? They said that they were ambushing him but he neither heard nor saw anything while he was biking away. Tsuna shivered.

 _But it can't be too bad...it's a bit...exciting_ , Tsuna thought. He would be able to get away from his life here and start another one somewhere else.

"Where do you plan to take me?" he finally asked.

"Japan. You'll be in the town called Namimori, to be specific, attending Namimori's middle school," the Rain Guardian said with an easy smile. "And you're supposed to be my nephew."

"Wait—Namimori? In Japan? The tiny island?"

"There is no other Japan or Namimori," Decimo said. "Are you agreeing?"

He looked helplessly around as he thought of his options. None of them looked very good. And something told him that it would be alright to trust the Vongola. He had trained under them and lived to tell the tale, hadn't he?

"Alright, I'll go."

"Excellent. You'll be known as Sawada Tsunayoshi—First name Tsunayoshi, last name Sawada," Decimo said.

"I'll have the paperwork done by tomorrow. It's best if you leave as soon as possible," the Rain Guardian said.

"Why can't I keep my name? I like my name," Tsuna protested.

"Then you can name your son Giotto if you like it that much," Decimo retorted. He clasped a hand to Tsuna's shoulder. "Good luck. I know you'll have fun in Namimori. It's a nice place. I can sincerely say that it's peaceful there."

"Giotto, is there anyone you'd like to say goodbye to before we leave?" the Rain Guardian asked.

"We?" Tsuna repeated.

"I'll be going with you," the Rain Guardian said with a laugh. "Do you think I'll just ditch you after all this?"

Tsuna smiled at the Rain Guardian. "I'm not sure what to think. Thanks. Um, I think there's only one or two. I'll have to talk to my tutor, my employer and probably the school…"

"I'll deal with the school," the Rain Guardian said. "You can handle the others on your own. Do you need a ride?"

"I brought my bike."

"Okay. Then I'll have a car pick you up tomorrow at four."

Tsuna gave him a thumbs up and left the room while the Rain Guardian pulled out his phone.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thank you so much for the favourites and follows! I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter. What are you thoughts on the story so far? The fighting scene was definitely fun to write. It has been a while since I wrote one.

I hope you're all ready for some Elgan Order stuff! See you in the next chapter. Bye!

 **Updated 2016-04-03rd**

* * *

 _ **-LLM**_


	9. A Change in Scenery

_Summary for current...arc?_

Tsuna learns that the Puniamo Family is after him and the Vongola's Boss decides that it would be safer if Tsuna left Italy. The safest place the Vongola Boss could think for Tsuna was Namimori, a small, nondescript town in Japan, far away from the main action with the Mafia in Italy. But what he doesn't anticipate is that Tsuna still manages to get involved in Mafia problems.

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

The next morning, the Rain Guardian went to pick up his new charge. He rang the door bell, grinned, and said, "Good morning! Whoa...what happened to you?" He took a step back from Tsuna's apartment door, seeing as the...creature that greeted him looked more like a zombie.

"Good morning..." Tsuna said and let the man in and quickly engaged the locks again. "I couldn't fall asleep when there's a Mafia family out to kill me."

"Don't worry too much about it!" the Rain Guardian waved it off with a laugh. "Here's your passport, Giotto…or should I say, Tsunayoshi Sawada? I don't know why the boss chose Tsunayoshi as your name. It's sort of a mouthful. I'll just call you Tsuna. Sounds enough like Tuna."

Tsuna sweat-dropped. _Tuna…?_

"You don't like the name?"

"I-It's fine!" Tsuna said and grabbed his bags. "Let's go already! Thinking about who's after me kept me awake last night."

The Rain Guardian obliged and helped Tsuna carry his things down. "I'll be posing as your uncle from your mother's side," he told him while they waited for the elevator. "I actually do have relatives there, which makes it easier. I do business here in Italy but I was born and raised in Japan. Level 1," he called out to the elevator.

"You don't look Japanese," Tsuna muttered as he eyed the man. When the man laughed, he realised that he wasn't speaking softly enough and reddened.

"I suppose I don't. Ah. That's our ride," the Rain Guardian said and pointed to the black car idling just outside the doors. The car itself was ordinary and blended into the others that were on the street although its coating was so new and clean that it reflected Tsuna's face clearly.

The driver opened the trunk and helped put the luggage in while Tsuna followed the Rain Guardian into the back of the car.

"Our plane takes off at six, but there's no need to worry. There's barely any traffic on the way to the airport this early in the morning. Do you have any questions?"

"Wh-where will I be living and what about the paperwork for school? Wouldn't I need a uniform?"

"We're enrolling you at the start of the new school year so you have a few months to deal with all of that. Or was it a few weeks? I can't remember. Was it March? April? Mm…that sounds about right."

"A-And where will I live?" Tsuna asked again.

"Oh—there's a house in the residential area near the school. I have the information on my phone. Here's a map of Namimori. You can study that if you get bored," he said with a grin and handed Tsuna a folded map of his new home.

* * *

 **~EO!~**

Mukuro's finger tapped against his knee in an impatient rhythm while his other hand supported his head.

Chrome and Yamamoto sat on either side of the blue-haired teen, giving him side-long glances. Mukuro looked at them with a frown.

"What?"

"You're not acting like yourself," Yamamoto said with a nervous laugh, not forgetting what happened the last time they were in close proximity with each other.

Mukuro's eyebrows raised and considered it. "Kufufufu. I suppose not. Tsunayoshi's life is just so boring at the moment."

"He's moving to Japan," Chrome pointed out.

Yamamoto nodded with a grin. "That should be interesting! I can't wait to see his reaction when he finds out Donato is in his class."

"Kufufufufu… not only that…but the two of you will be joining him shortly."

Byakuran had decided that if it came to it, he would be sending Yamamoto and Chrome down to the mortal realm as Tsuna's backup.

"I thought it was only a possibility of us going," Chrome said in her quiet voice, her eyes showing worry.

"Once Byakuran finds out what is going on, it's most likely going to be war."

Yamamoto widened his eyes and his smile dropped from his lips. "You really think the Fallen Angels are behind the murder?"

"Kufufufu," Mukruo chuckled. "Killing the Advisor from the council? After he is gone, there are only five angels of the council left. The imbalance of the council's power will become apparent if we have to fight. The archangel must appoint a new Advisor _and_ find the killer."

"And Byakuran's attention won't be focused on… _something,"_ Chrome murmured. "But what? What is it that they're trying to distract him from?"

"Kufufufufu... Whatever it is, I look forward to finding out."

Yamamoto shivered at the feeling of his friend's evil aura. "Mukuro, you have to stop enjoying things like that."

"Why? We all suffer no matter where we are—on Earth, in Heaven, or in the seven Hells. And I can happily say that I've been through all of them."

Yamamoto shook his head and didn't bother to reply. He wondered if anything could change Mukuro's thinking. It had been so long since Mukuro came to them and ever since he had contact with the Fallen Angels hundreds of years ago…he grew slightly darker.

It was only Mukuro's ability to keep that darkness in check that kept him out of Byakuran's grasp. If only they could make Mukuro see the better sides of life, like how he did when Tsuna was around.

* * *

Many years ago, not long after they met one another, Tsuna had befriended Mukuro and did his best to include the strange angel in their group.

On one such event, Tsuna, who was returning from his trip to see Byakuran, spotted Mukuro in a dark place. "Mukuro!"

Mukuro had turned and smirked at Tsuna. "Well, if it isn't Tsunayoshi."

"What are you doing here?" Tsuna had asked when he landed next to Mukuro.

They were standing at the edge of their home, looking down into the empty and endless valley which separated them from the Fallen Angels and Hell. Darkness had called up to them in sweet and enticing swirls of everything they would ever want in life. Tsuna had ignored it in favour of giving his friend his full attention.

"Kufufufu. I am merely thinking of what is down there."

"You know what's down there."

Mukuro acknowledged the statement with a nod. "The last time the Fallen Angels fought us, we were newly made and didn't know anything about this world. We only saw the aftermath of the battles."

"It was enough," Tsuna had said.

"Oh yes, it was enough. Our world is filled with war, Tsunayoshi. Without war, there is no peace. Without peace, there will be war. Darkness makes up our world."

Mukuro had continued to gaze down into the emptiness. He asked, "What's the difference between down there and up here?"

"We can choose how we want to live up here," Tsuna told him. "Down there, in the darkness, you don't have an option. Here, we can change our beliefs and act for the worse or better."

"There is that," Mukuro had admitted with a snort.

"So," Tsuna said, giving Mukuro's shoulder a slight nudge. "Do you want to come and watch the mortals' new inventions in action? Or are you going to brood here forever?"

Back then, Mukuro was willing to follow Tsuna. He had chuckled and took flight to watch another milestone being made.

* * *

"Look," Chrome said, interrupting Yamamoto's thoughts. "He's on the plane with the Rain Guardian."

Tsuna was looking around in interest, having not been on a plane since his parents were alive. Since his and the Rain Guardian's seats were relatively far from the other first class passengers, he began to ask him questions about the Mafia. The Rain Guardian answered his questions and steered the conversation away from those that Tsuna shouldn't know the answers to yet.

"There's nothing else for us to see," Yamamoto said with a sigh. "Until he lands."

"How is the investigation for the Advisor's murder?" Chrome asked after a paused.

"Last I checked, they didn't have any leads. We could talk to the Investigator," Yamamoto suggested. Chrome nodded. By the time they return, Tsuna should be in Japan.

"I heard they found something," Mukuro said with a chuckle.

"Really? What did they find?" asked Chrome.

"Kufufu. I didn't stay to listen."

Yamamoto laughed nervously. _Or you were too far away._ But he decided to not voice that thought.

"Then we'll meet with the Investigator," Chrome decided.

They flew over the congregation halls where angels met up to exchange news or to meet up with friends, past the gardens, and past the first few administration buildings. They landed on the front-second level balcony of a round building built from blue glass. The angel standing on guard remained where he was as they walked up to the end of the balcony. Another step would bring them plunging down to the main floor of the building. They tilted their heads up, looking at each of the open-air rooms, where they could see angels working behind desks or looking into pools of water, communicating with another angel.

Yamamoto pointed at an angel on the fifth level, who had the dark blue uniform of the Investigator. "There he is! Investigator- _san_!"

The Investigator looked for the source of the shout. Seeing Yamamoto waving wildly from the main floor, he grinned.

It was easy to see when an angel was or wasn't welcome in this building—a smile was an invitation. A scowl meant that you should get the hell out before something bad happens. So Yamamoto was fairly certain that they weren't going to be blasted from the sky anytime soon.

"I see that you still have some Japanese roots to your speech," the Investigator commented when they landed in his spacious office.

"Hahaha! I can't help it, I was born there!" Yamamoto said.

Chrome asked, "How is the investigation?" She took a seat on the carpeted floor next to a rectangular pool of water that currently showed her reflection. "Mukuro-kun said you had a lead."

The Investigator nodded and sat opposite to Chrome. The other two took seats next to the girl.

"That's true, though it was a small lead. There were small traces of angel dust found on the Advisor's face."

Mukuro's eyebrows rose. Angel dust from other angels could temporarily incapacitate certain angels. The easiest way he understood it was that angel dust is like an allergy—his angel dust couldn't harm Chrome or Yamamoto but, he smirked inwardly, it was an annoyance for Hibari, although Hibari's angel dust was harmless for Mukuro. Tsunayoshi's however, affected both of them.

But they only knew this because they were so close to one another; council members kept to themselves and it was rare that anyone would know whose angel dust affected them. It was akin to a weakness for any angel if an enemy found out.

"Kufufufu! This is very interesting. Whose dust was it?"

The Investigator sighed. "As if I would tell you. In any case, I don't know. Unless the angel has committed a crime or I have had direct contact with their angel dust, I wouldn't know." He directed this at Mukuro, who chuckled to himself.

"So," Chrome murmured, "the Advisor was distracted as the dust was thrown on him and then he was killed."

"That's how it looks," the Investigator said. Then he leaned back on the palms of his hands as he looked at them expectantly with a cocked brow. "We just need the culprit now. I'm all ears if you have anything to tell me."

Yamamoto rubbed the back of his head. "Well...sorry...we just wanted to know. It's a bit terrifying that there's a murderer out there!"

The Investigator waved a hand dismissively. "You and every other angel. Run along, then. I would say keep your heads down but that won't help you at this point."

Chrome paused at the edge. "What do you mean?"

"I suspect that something bigger is happening—the Advisor's murder is only the beginning," the Investigator said. "Whatever it is, everyone will be dragged in."

Chrome stared at the Investigator for a second longer before nodding. Then she stepped into air.

 **~EO!~**

* * *

"Do you think that they'd let me get a part-time job?" Tsuna asked as they left the plane.

"Why would you want a part-time job?" the Rain Guardian asked.

"I need to pay you back. You're paying for everything! I should do something, right?"

The Rain Guardian laughed and ruffled Tsuna's hair. "Tsuna, it's okay. Decimo's not a stickler for money when it comes to helping those he likes, so treat it as a gift. You don't give back gifts, do you?"

"N-No…but I repay them."

The Rain Guardian let out a startled laugh. "Oh, alright. Hm. Let's see…I didn't know anyone who had a part-time job when I went to Nami-chuu. To be honest, I was really focused on baseball! I'd get up early, train, then go to school for a few hours' rest, then I'd go to the baseball club meeting for some more training. I'd go home to help out my pops at our sushi restaurant. Occasionally, we'd have a game with some other middle schools, which is always fun. Oh, and I'd help out the other sport teams if they're short a few members."

Tsuna sweatdropped as he listened to the Rain Guardian ramble on about sports. _How did this man end up in the mafia?!_

The Rain Guardian had grown quiet by the time they reached the parking lot, where the man led them to a white car. Tsuna stood to the side, watching the Guardian as he loaded his luggage into the back seat.

Tsuna would be the first to admit that he didn't know the Rain Guardian well. But after spending so much time with the man, he learned what everyone else did: that the Rain Guardian was always talkative and open to conversation.

Now he was quiet, as though deep in thought.

Just as Tsuna buckled himself into the front passenger seat, the Rain Guardian continued his story of his middle school years.

"And then I met Decimo." He chuckled softly. "I still remember the days when he was right next to me in almost every remedial class possible. I didn't get close to him then, though we were friendly. Did you know? Our Decimo went through a lot through his teenage years. His old classmates probably wouldn't recognise him now if they bumped into him on the street!

"He became my best friend and we ended up doing everything together. Even when he found out that he was part of the mafia by blood, I followed him. I met the Storm Guardian first. And then the others followed, as though it was meant to be."

"That sounds nice," Tsuna said nervously. Usually, it's not a good thing to be associated with the Mafia, right? Did the Rain Guardian regret following his friend so deep? Tsuna snuck a look at the Rain Guardian and found his answer as clear as day on the man's face.

He didn't regret it for a single moment.

Oh, how Tsuna wished he had friends like that.

"I should probably remind you to keep some distance between yourself and the disciplinary committee."

"Really? Why?"

"Do you remember the Cloud Guardian? He used to lead them when he was in middle school and high school. They're definitely not as fierce as when he used to run it, since most of his followers joined The Foundation, but they like to live up to the image. So: don't be late, don't linger, and don't cause trouble."

Tsuna shivered and nodded firmly.

The Rain Guardian laughed at his reaction and began to point to different areas of Namimori as they left the highway.

"Down that street is _Takesushi_ , my family's restaurant. If you have any troubles, feel free to drop by. Just tell my dad, Tsuyoshi, that you're a friend of mine."

"I wouldn't want to trouble him…"

"It's fine," the Rain Guardian said reassuringly. He slowed the car and parked it. "And we're here!"

Tsuna peered out of his window and looked appraisingly at the average sized house that sat in a row among many others.

It didn't stand out in any way or looked particularly fantastic to Tsuna, but he felt an attachment to the house, as though he already considered it home.

 _Now it's just missing some bombs and kids running around._ Tsuna frowned at the thought which was totally unexpected. He shook his head to clear it and said, "It looks great!"

"Let's take a look around. There are three bedrooms and a bathroom on the second level. On the first level, there's a kitchen, living room, a guest room, washroom, and a screen that leads to the back yard."

Once he was settled in, Tsuna reassured the Rain Guardian that he would be fine on his own; he had been looking after himself for the last few years. Sure, it was a new country, but it couldn't be that different.

"If you're sure…"

"I'm sure. Thanks for all you've done."

"I'll be around. Call me if you need anything, alright?"

"Okay. _Thank you_ ," Tsuna said with a bright smile directed toward the Rain Guardian. The Rain Guardian smiled back and waved as Tsuna closed the front door.

He let out a sigh and bolted the door, keying in the security that he was given. Curious, he pressed a few more keys to see who else had permission to enter the house.

He saw the names of Decimo and his Guardians. He skimmed down the list and sweated more with each name he read on the list.

.

.

.

 _Basil_

 _Bianchi_

 _Colonnello_

 _Dino_

 _Fuuta_

 _Hana_

 _Haru_

 _I-Pin_

 _Kyoko_

 _Lal Mirch_

 _Nana_

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _Tsunayoshi_

Though none of the names were familiar to him, he still felt uneasy, but trusted the Rain Guardian that anyone who had access to this house was an ally and wasn't out to get him.

However…it would be stupid not to ask why. He took out his phone and hesitated only for a moment before calling the Rain Guardian.

 _"_ _Tsuna? Any problems?"_

"Ah—well," Tsuna said when the Rain Guardian picked up on the second ring. "Um…a long list of names showed up when I checked to see who had access to the house. Is that…normal?"

 _"_ _A long list of names?"_ the Rain Guardian repeated, puzzled. _"Oh! That's right! We gave you one of our safe houses. Sorry, I forgot to tell you. Haha, it must have slipped my mind. Some of our close family members can enter the house, so don't worry if they suddenly show up."_

"Ehh! How do I know if it's them? I don't know half of these names!"

There was a long silence at the other end of the line.

Part of the reason why Tsuna was in Japan was to get away from their enemies in Italy, of course. So it was expected that the boy would be jumpy if strangers started to show up at his doorstep. But that house was the safest one in Namimori, not including their underground base, which was only used in absolute emergencies.

"You'll have to trust me, Tsuna."

 _"_ _O-Of course I trust you, but…"_

"Anyone who walks through those doors is safe." The Rain Guardian winced. "I take that back. What I mean is that none of them mean you any harm. No, that's not right either."

 _"_ _What!"_

"C-Calm down! They aren't the real enemy. Some of them _might_ hurt you on sight, but they're not prone to killing people without asking questions first. And besides, they're our allies. Most of them might come off as a bit strange, but they mean well." The Rain Guardian nodded to himself, satisfied with that explanation.

 _"_ _S-So there's no actual way for me to know if it's an enemy or not,"_ Tsuna stated.

"Well…no—yes! Yes, there is! Okay, go upstairs to the attic."

 _"_ _The attic?"_

"Yeah, I just remembered something the kid said…yeah, go up. The stairs should be next to the master bedroom."

 _"_ _Okay…?"_

He heard the boy walk up the stairs and open the door.

 _"_ _Got it. You want me to go up?"_

"Yes. Sorry, it's probably a mess. To the right, you should feel a light switch. Got it? Now, in one of the boxes you'll find a photo album. Feel free to look through it. I'm sure no one will mind if you do."

 _"_ _Ooooh, I get it,"_ Tsuna exclaimed. _"This way, I'll know if they're part of your family if they show up…"_

"Yes! Heheh...Sorry about the confusion," the Rain Guardian said.

 _"_ _I-It's okay! Um, I'm fine now. Thanks."_

"Alright. Ciao!"

* * *

 **~EO!~**

Yamamoto stiffened and grasped Chrome's arm. Chrome's other hand grabbed his. "No," she gasped out. "No, he can't do that."

Yamamoto swallowed and looked at Chrome with worried eyes. "He's already showing signs of being unstable. What will happen if he sees people from his old life?"

"We have to stop him!"

Mukuro dropped from the sky. "Kufufufufufufufu…You can't stop him."

Yamamoto stood in protest. "But if we don't, it might make his condition worse! You saw what happened when he first wielded a gun and how fast he picked up martial arts. Who knows what would happen if he also started to get flashbacks of his old life by looking through photographs that are probably going to show events that happened in our own universe?"

Mukuro smirked. "Exactly. Who knows what would happen? Just relax, Takeshi. And watch events unfold."

Helpless to stop his friend, Yamamoto watched Tsuna carefully open the cover for the old photo album. The first picture that greeted the young boy's eyes was one of Nana, Iemitsu, and a baby Tsunayoshi sleeping in Nana's arms in the hospital. The smiles directed at the camera were filled with joy at having their first baby.

Tsuna stared at the picture for two minutes, taking in the features of the mother and father, as well as the child.

The next few pages were filled with pictures of young Decimo growing up in Namimori. Occasionally, Tsuna would stop and stare intently at the faces in the pictures.

 _"_ _Decimo's family,"_ Tsuna murmured.

"His _own_ family," Chrome said to herself. "With his memory faulty, it's no wonder he's focused on them."

When the pages finally ended, Tsuna closed the album and set it aside. He looked into the box and grabbed another one. Now, the first one was of Decimo and his friends as teenagers. Tsuna gasped at the picture and dropped the album to let it land on the dusty floor.

"You don't think that he recognized us, do you?" Yamamoto asked nervously. "That wouldn't be good."

"Kufufufu…recognized you as Yamamoto Takeshi, his previous Guardian, or recognized you as Yamamoto Takeshi, one of his friends in the Elgan Order?"

Yamamoto shot Mukuro a withering look. " _Don't_ even think that! You know what the only thing that could make him to remember his angel life is. Because of that, I really hope he never remembers. Not until he returns to us."

Mukuro showed one of his rare faces of being serious. "It might be better if he does."

"Mukuro-kun?" Chrome questioned with knitted brows. "How can it be…oh. You're talking about the increase of strength, aren't you?"

"Kufufufu. Of course, dear Chrome. If we are to fight this war, we will need every hand available. And Tsunayoshi's strength is unmatched."

Yamamoto agreed. Though the action right now was happening in the Elgan Order, Earth was affected, too.

Chrome stared down at Tsuna with a sorrowful look. "He's started to cry."

Yamamoto's voice shook as he laughed and said, "He misses us that much, huh?"

 **~EO!~**

* * *

Tsuna wiped his tears. He wasn't sure why he was crying in the first place. He had gone through the first two albums without a hitch, but after the third, when even more pictures of Decimo's friends and family made their appearances, he noticed that his vision was getting burry and his breathing ragged.

It didn't make sense that he was crying. Sure, he missed his own family and the few friends he ever had, but not that much! He was never one to cry, so why did it start now? There was an ach in his chest that he couldn't understand.

Tsuna put the album down and just sat there. Maybe it was stress. Maybe everything that happened to him finally caught up to him. He wiped his eyes and started down the stairs and outside for some fresh air. He had to get moving. Get his mind off…whatever it was that bothered him.

He felt better after walking a few blocks around the neighbourhood. His feet had taken him to the zoo, to the shopping district, to the arcade, to the amusement park, and to the shrines. Then, he stopped at Namimori's middle school. He didn't even know how he got there; he didn't research where the school was and yet he had found it on his own.

His heart lightened as he looked at the old building and at the tall fence that surrounded the sports fields. He looked at the gate, which was closed. He had an image of seeing himself running in a panic, trying to get through those gates before they closed on him. He laughed to himself at the thought, since he had never been late to school if he could help it.

Maybe it was the Rain Guardian's warning that had him thinking about what would happen if he turned up late. He would probably be ordered by the teacher to get a late slip and stay for detention, or to take up cleaning duty. Who knows? It can't be that bad.

But he shivered at the thought of arriving late. Tsuna shrugged it off and continued walking.

Tsuna's attention was attracted to a blonde picking up a can from the vending machine down the street. He continued on his way but stopped with a frown. That figure looked familiar…he turned back around to look at the stranger again.

The other teenage boy had opened his can and was taking his first sip, glancing up at Tsuna. Their eyes met and the boy spat out his drink and spilled the contents onto the pavement.

 _"_ _Giotto?"_

"Donato!" Tsuna stared at his best friend in shock and joy.

 _"_ _What the—GIOTTO!"_ Donato's grin widened as he charged at his friend and engulfed him in a bear hug. Tsuna returned it with just as much enthusiasm, both of them probably cracking each other's ribs in the process before letting go. _"What are you doing here?"_ Donato asked in disbelief.

 _"_ _I moved here just today! I didn't know that you were in Namimori. Otherwise, I would have told you!"_

Donato punched Tsuna's arm. _"Why didn't you tell me you were coming to_ Japan, _jerk!?"_

Tsuna winced and smiled. _"It slipped my mind."_

Donato scoffed and reverted to Japanese. "Slipped your mind my foot. You don't even tell your best friend that you're going to Japan. I should pound you to dust right now."

"Come on, I said I was sorry!"

Donato glared at Tsuna for another second before laughing. "You were always so easy to rile up!"

Tsuna smiled and laughed inwardly.

"So why are you in Japan?"

 _I don't want him to get involved with the Mafia because of me...and who knows what he'll do if I tell him?_ "Things weren't really working out for me in Italy, so I decided to move. My…uncle…helped me get things done." _Lying to your friend now? What else are you going to do?_

"Your uncle," Donato said slowly. "One who hasn't ever been mentioned before?"

"Apparently, I have an uncle," Tsuna said. "I didn't find out about that until recently." Not really a lie, right?

Donato looked thoughtful but shrugged. "So have you seen much yet? I could give you a tour."

"Y-Yeah, that would be great!"

"Man, I still can't believe you're here, Giotto," Donato said as they walked.

Tsuna grinned and looked his friend over. He really couldn't say that Donato changed a lot. He still had his blond hair, though it was shorter than how he used to wear it. He was dressed as impeccably as always, except for his shoes, which were covered with mud—nothing unusual there either.

"I really should have told you," Tsuna said in response to his friend's reaction. "And I changed my name from Giotto."

"Why would you do that?" Donato exclaimed. "Giotto is such a kickass name! Giotto's one of—!" Donato clamped his mouth shut.

Tsuna waited for him to finish. When he didn't, Tsuna said, "Wouldn't I blend in better if I had a Japanese name?"

"I guess," said Donato grudgingly. "But really? Man, that sucks. So what's your name now, _non-_ Giotto?"

"My name is Sawada Tsunayoshi," Tsuna said with a smile.

Donato's eyebrows raised and he considered the name. "Well, that's not too bad. Sawada's also cool."

Tsuna sweatdropped. "How is that cool? It's just a name."

"It's just a—?" Donato repeated with a gasp.

How can it _not_ be cool? First, his friend was named after _the_ Giotto, of the Vongola! Well, maybe not him, but they still shared the name! And Giotto, in Donato's opinion, was the most kickass boss of the Vongola _ever._ Plus, not only did his friend change his name, which was a bummer, but he changed it to Sawada, the name Primo took up after he left Italy. That was one fo the reasons why Donato was so eager to go to Japan, the country where Primo decided to make his second home and take the name Sawada Ieyasu as his own. How could anyone _not_ find it cool to be named after Vongola Primo? One day, he would have to educate his dear friend, he promised himself.

They spent the rest of the day together in Tsuna's new home, though Tsuna was anxious with inviting his friend over to Vongola's safe house. The evening went on without a problem and Donato left before the sun set.

"It's better for everyone to stay off the streets at night."

"What do you mean? It's that dangerous here?"

"Recently, yeah. More guys are ending up in the hospital than normal and the police are worrying. So lock your doors and windows."

* * *

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Updated 2016/05/06th**

 _ **-LLM**_


	10. Attacks in Namimori

**Recap:** After being reborn in an alternate universe that is set years after canon, Tsuna encounters the mafia, including the Vongola and Cavallone. His best friend is in fact, Donato Cavallone. After thwarting an enemy family, Puniamo's, plans in a market, Tsuna is targeted by them. Thankfully, he's taken in by the Vongola and they train him. Later, he moves to Namimori from Italy after the Vongola figure out that someone's gunning for Tsuna's life.

Meanwhile, a few of Tsuna's previous Guardians, Yamamoto, Chrome, and Mukuro, continue to watch over him in the after life, waiting for the signal to join Tsuna in an approaching battle.

* * *

 **Happy Chapter 10!**

As he stood waiting for his homeroom teacher to call him in, Tsuna took in a deep breath and looked around the empty hallway. Namimori Middle School was what he expected—a normal school with normal teachers, normal posters in the hallway, and normal everything. Even so, he couldn't help but be nervous.

" _Sawada? You may come in now."_

Tsuna stepped in and saw that his classmates were giving him curious looks. To his surprise, not all of them were Japanese. Two in fact, looked European. Actually, he knew for a fact that one of them was Italian. His smile widened and received one in return from Donato.

Donato gave Tsuna a discreet thumbs-up from the back of the room and Tsuna felt his nerves settle slightly.

The other was a girl who sat in front of Donato. She gave Tsuna an odd look when he smiled in her direction, thinking that it was aimed at her. Tsuna quickly looked away from the awkward moment and nodded at his homeroom teacher.

"This is Sawada Tsunayoshi, who is originally from Italy. He'll be joining us from today until all of you leave Nami-chuu and stop being my headache," their teacher said, causing the class to laugh.

"Ehh? Come on, sensei!"

"We're not that bad, are we?"

She gave them what passed for a stern look. "Sawada, why won't you tell the class about yourself?"

Tsuna nodded and said, "Nice to meet you all! It's really exciting to be here. Let's see… I don't really know what you'd find interesting about me." Tsuna smiled inwardly. Now wasn't the best time to tell his classmates about his mafia friends, right? "I was born in Italy, but decided to transfer here."

"Why did you move from Italy?" someone asked.

Tsuna's grin faltered. "To be honest, I didn't really like it there. I've met some people that I love, but they either died or left, so I…thought I should leave as well."

The class sat in silence, not expecting such an answer from him. They looked at one another with widened eyes, not sure what to say. Then Donato dropped a boulder into the pond.

"Are you sure you didn't leave because you missed _someone_ too much? Like me, for example?"

Tsuna let out a startled laugh. Everyone stared at the two boys.

"Cavallone, do you know Sawada?"

"Of course I know him, sensei. He's my best friend!"

Their teacher looked surprised for just a moment before releasing a sigh. "Very well. Since you already know Cavallone, he can show you around. Cavallone: make sure you do so during lunch break—and _don't_ get "lost" wandering the school again."

The class burst out laughing while Cavallone tried to defend himself to no avail.

"Sawada," their teacher said when the class settled, "do you have anything else to add?"

"Well… I really like helping my friends…" Tsuna caught Donato's evil grin and quickly finished, "But don't expect me to do everything, since I'd hate to be used that way. From what I understand, helping involves your participation too."

A few students chuckled and nudged their friends who looked slightly disappointed that Tsuna wasn't going to be easily bullied into doing all the work.

His classmates were grinning and talking to him until their teacher cleared her throat. "Sawada, go sit in the empty seat over there." She pointed to the seat next to the window at the back, next to Donato's left. He and Donato shared another grin before the class began.

Tsuna brought out his notebook and listened while subtly observing the girl sitting in front of his best friend. At first, Tsuna had thought _he_ would be the only non-Japanese attending. After all, Namimori isn't that big of a town. No one could blame him for being curious about another.

The girl had long brown hair that was in a single braid. He could see that she wasn't an avid note taker from the way her pencil twirled over her fingers and how her back was slouched.

Speaking of which…

Tsuna looked over his own half page of notes and focused on the board. He was having some trouble processing everything his teacher said, but did his best to record what he thought was relevant. He had questions and the answers were on the tip of his tongue…but he just couldn't place what they were.

* * *

"Sawada, are you interested in sports?" a classmate asked over lunch break.

Tsuna gave the other boy a startled look. "A little?"

The boy grinned. "Then you should join my track team!"

"No, you already have enough people in track and field," another boy argued. "Sawada, you should join basketball."

"Let the guy eat!" Donato said, interrupting what was quickly escalating to the usual verbal fight between sports clubs.

"S-Sorry, I'll decide later," Tsuna offered with a smile.

"Make sure you come to the gym any time after school!"

"No, he should come out to the baseball field!"

Donato whistled. "Those two are the third batch of our classmates who want you for something," he said. "What did you do to them?"

"D-Don't say that as though I put a spell on them or something!"

Donato laughed and smacked Tsuna's shoulder. "They all want to be your friend. That's a good thing! When I first came, they tried bullying me first, until I knocked some sense into them…don't give me that look. I didn't get in trouble, since they didn't tell any teachers about it."

Tsuna would have shrieked at his friend's recklessness if his mouth wasn't already filled with bread.

"Anyway, how did you find the morning classes? Need any help?"

"You've read my mind," Tsuna said with a smile. "I really need your help. I don't understand most of it!"

"Fine. Let's hear it out before the afternoon classes start."

After just an hour of clarifying his questions, Tsuna was already feeling that he had a good grasp on the concepts. Donato watched Tsuna's quick understanding of the material and sighed. "At the pace you're going, I'm going to be the one who asks for help."

* * *

 **~EO!~**

"He's charismatic," Yamamoto said. "That's not too different from his usual self, or from Sawada Tsunayoshi of the previous life."

Chrome looked around them cautiously. Seeing nothing in the clouds and the endless landscape up or down, she whispered, "I looked into the files of Boss' last mission."

"Eh! You too, Chrome? You're usually not interested in old missions."

Chrome pinned him with a stare. "This time is an exception."

Yamamoto nodded. "Okay, okay. What did you find?"

Chrome leaned back and said, "Reborn, the hitman."

"The home tutor," Yamamoto said with a nod. "He taught Tsuna."

"Yes…He was the one who brought out Boss' charismatic nature. We rarely see a charismatic Tsuna amongst the humans so soon in his life. Like any child, Tsuna fumbled through life until he had his bearings as an adult. Even with Reborn, Tsuna grew into it. He showed positive signs of such charisma but it wasn't until he was a grown man that it brought _that_ effect." Chrome pointed at the image of Tsuna's classroom, where students were mingling near Tsuna to talk to him.

They watched as Tsuna won over his classmates and visited clubs after school. They watched as his best friend Donato tutored him. As the weeks passed and tests were returned, Tsuna began to tutor Donato, much to his friend's dismay.

"He's certainly not dead last," Yamamoto said with a weak laugh and covered his face with a hand. He groaned and his wings flashed into solid existence before fading as his emotions rose and fell. "He's remembering old material, not learning things for the first time."

"The wall hiding his old memories, memories that should have been wiped in the first place, is crumbling even more."

With trouble in the Elgan Order, Yamamoto couldn't decide if it was a good thing or a bad thing. "How is your power?" he asked.

Chrome's own wings flashed gold and the air around her shimmered with tightly controlled power. Yamamoto didn't need to hear her answer to know. He could feel it in his bones.

 **~EO!~**

* * *

" _Yes!"_ Donato pumped his fist in the air as he smacked his test onto Tsuna's desk. "Hah! Finally!"

Tsuna's eyes flicked to the top right corner of Donato's sheet and his eyes widened. "What the—seriously!?" On the paper was a perfect mark for the test. Tsuna's own eighty percent wasn't too bad by his standards, but still.

"I studied like no tomorrow ever since the test was announced," Donato said with a smirk.

Tsuna couldn't help but smile at his friend's success.

"But you're usually better than me," Donato said with a frown. "Did something happen?"

"No, not really. I just didn't have time to study as much."

"Why?"

"Mm…I'm looking for a part-time job," Tsuna muttered.

Donato sat back and stared at Tsuna with a look of understanding. _That's right. He doesn't have any family to rely on…wait, what about his uncle?_ Tsuna was focused on staring at his notebook and rewriting some words, doing his best to not look at him. Donato narrowed his eyes. _I'm going to pull it out of you later._

"Big news!" a girl in their class slammed open the door. "Akito-sensei was beaten up and put into the hospital!"

Conversation in the class screeched to a halt. _"WHAT!?"_

"On his way home from school last night, someone out of the blue pulled him into an alley and beat him up until he was unconscious!"

Students shouted to each other and asked the girl questions but the door slid open again and their science teacher stepped in. She looked around and sighed.

"Take your seats."

"But sensei—"

"I said to take your seats!"

Uneasily, the students did as they were told. Donato sat back down grimly and exchanged shocked looks with Tsuna.

"I'm sure you all did well on your math tests, but please put the results away and take out your text books."

Tsuna was straightening from taking the book from his bag when he saw that Donato was watching the girl sitting in front of him. Tsuna puzzled over it for a second before shrugging it off. But it came back to him at lunch when Donato followed the girl out of the classroom.

"E-Ehh!?"

"Tsuna? Something wrong?" a classmate asked.

"N-No, everything's fine!" _Hiiiee…Donato and that girl…are they together or something? That's so sudden. Why didn't he say anything? They don't even act like a couple!_

"Sawada?" A teacher poked his head through the door and looked around. "Ah. Sawada, there you are. You're wanted in the office."

"H-Hai," Tsuna said and quickly ran down the hall.

"I told you that I don't know what's going on, Donato!"

 _What the!?_ Tsuna stopped immediately and nearly slid past the hallway where that voice came from. _Someone is speaking in Italian? Who's—?_

"That's hard to believe," Donato said in a violent tone that Tsuna had never heard him use before. "Listen here, you…" Donato lowered his voice further and no matter how Tsuna strained his ear, he couldn't pick up what was said.

The girl let out an infuriated shout. Tsuna winced when he heard someone hit the wall. "How dare you accuse us—we have a partnership with them and we don't plan to be disloyal, so shut up. You're so paranoid!"

One of them started walking and Tsuna snapped out of his thoughts quick enough to run out of sight before they saw him.

 _That girl…what's her name again? Eto…_ Tsuna sweatdropped. He'd been at school for how long? And he didn't remember the girl's name? _I'm so glad I don't have to talk to her yet. It would be so embarrassing…_

Tsuna knocked on the office door and opened it. "E-Excuse me…I was told to come down here?"

* * *

"Where'd you go?" Donato asked Tsuna when he returned.

"The office wanted to confirm my uncle's contact information…I'm not sure why. I thought it was all filled out already."

"I guess things like that happen."

The rest of the day passed by smoothly, although Tsuna couldn't help but sneak a few glances at Donato and the girl. Donato seemed to be rather stiff and the girl kept looking as though she wanted to turn around, but stopped herself before she could move more than an inch.

When the final bell rang and they were dismissed, she turned around to face Donato.

Donato was just placing his books away when he saw her looking at him. "Atsuka…?"

Tsuna almost felt a light bulb go off over his head as he recalled that Atsuka was indeed her name.

"You and I are going to find out who's attacking everyone," Atsuka told Donato.

" _Hiiiiiiie!"_

They turned to Tsuna in confusion and Tsuna clamped a hand over his mouth. _Damn it…Please tell me I didn't just hear her say that._ "Y-You're not serious, are you?" Tsuna asked Atsuka. "About finding the guy? Because that sounds…very dangerous…"

Atsuka quirked an eyebrow and said in a teasing voice, "You can come with us if you're worried, Sawada."

Donato gaped at her. "No way!" he said in Italian.

"What?" Atsuka replied automatically in the same tongue. "I was joking."

Looking back and forth, Tsuna confirmed that yes, they were really only middle school students, not adults in disguise. And that they were thinking of going against people who beat up others. "I'll go with you," Tsuna said. "But…why were you speaking in Italian?"

Atsuka blinked a few times at Tsuna. "Y-You want to…?"

"Habit, I guess," Donato said, not surprised that Tsuna was determined to follow along. "Don't you fall into it sometimes?"

"N-No?"

"You actually want to come with us?" Atsuka asked.

"Three people are better than two," Tsuna insisted. "I'm going."

Atsuka looked very hesitant but in the end, Tsuna got his way. "Fine," Atsuka said.

Donato grinned. "This can be fun."

"Fun?" Atsuka muttered under her breath. "Yeah, right."

Donato ignored her and pushed Tsuna toward the door. "Let's start right away."

Tsuna tried to tell Donato to wait for Atsuka but she caught up easily and didn't look like she was going to complain about Donato leaving her behind, so he left it at that. To be perfectly honest, Tsuna figured that as long as they could work together, it didn't matter if they didn't talk to each other—it was better than them fighting, right?

"We should visit Akito-sensei first," Atsuka said when she came even with them on Tsuna's left while Donato was to his right.

"They said he's in Namimori Hospital," Tsuna asked. "Will they let us see him?"

"Why would they stop us?" Atsuka asked. "We're just students visiting their teacher."

Tsuna laughed nervously. "You're right, why would they stop us? Haha…" _I just had a weird thought that they didn't like me, that's all…_

"My dad…" Donato said with scrunched up eyebrows. "He...said something about his friend, about the time when they still lived here. Something about causing a huge ruckus and getting kicked out because they were distracting the nurses too much."

Tsuna and Atsuka sweat-dropped. "You're not serious about that, are you?" Tsuna asked.

Donato gave them a startled look. "Of course I'm serious."

Atsuka made a big show of examining both of them and nodded. "Even if it's true, I don't think we'll have that problem." She continued walking as Tsuna and Donato stopped to look at her back in dismay.

"I don't know if I should be offended or thankful that she doesn't find me attractive," Donato said.

"How do you want to take it?"

"I would rather have nothing to do with her," Donato said without hesitation. Then he sighed. "It's not reasonable for me to say that but...I can't help it."

"I've never seen you act this way before," Tsuna said. "Are you really okay, Donato?"

"Everything is fine. I just don't get along with her."

While Tsuna approached a store to buy a fruit basket for Akito-sensei, Donato and Atsuka waited outside. Atsuka asked, "Why didn't you put up more resistance to him coming? I thought he was your friend."

"He is," Donato said fiercely. "But I also know how dangerous it might be to find out who's behind these attacks, if it isn't your family." Donato grimaced at the last part. He didn't mean to actually say that out loud.

Atsuka bit back a snarl at the accusation. She was tired. Tired of people seeing her as the enemy. Tired of assuming that everyone in her family was as evil as the Puniamo. Did they not understand what those hateful looks directed toward a _child_ does to her? Every time she attended allied gatherings—every time she came into contact with Vongola's allies—that look in their eyes. She was tired of it.

" _Don't give them a reason to hate you, Azzurra. You already have your grandfather's faults pressed onto you. You never asked for that, but it is. Don't be like your grandfather."_

The words her father spoke to her when she was ten came back to her. Atsuka swallowed and glared at Donato.

Instead of yelling at him, she asked, "Then... _why_ are you letting him come? A third person won't be able to help us if he can't defend himself."

"Tsuna grew up in a rough neighbourhood, where he had to fight to keep his wallet on him. Or, fight to get it back. With these thugs that are attacking civilians? This is no different."

"But he's not in any gang? No family?"

"No, he isn't. He got pretty scared of them after he ran into the middle of a fight between two families when he was little."

"So he might not be prepared to face what might happen, if the thugs belong to a family. The Mafia can be pretty brutal…" Atsuka suddenly shut her mouth.

Donato crossed his arms and shifted slightly, his eyes darkening as he remembered something unpleasant. After a minute he said, "Do you mean that Tsuna might not believe it if there's a real gun pointed at his face?"

"Yeah."

Donato bit his lip. _What did I get Giotto into? Damn...I can't protect him on my own. But Romario will kill me himself if he finds out I'm doing something like this._

"Donato," Atsuka said softly. "Are you willing to call a truce while we work on this? I am, if it means that we'll all come out of this alive."

Donato stared at her for a second before nodding. "Okay. Truce."

They shook hands and dropped them as Tsuna emerged from the store.

Tsuna showed them the collection of fruit. Most of them were in season, but there were some that were imported from other areas that gave the basket more variety. They continued on their way, with Tsuna following the other two, who were more familiar with the town.

A few streets from the hospital, Tsuna spotted a man walking toward them. The closer the man came, the wider Tsuna's eyes got. The man had short black hair and a sharp face that sported an expression of indifference. His black suit covered a lean body that could take out a hundred men.

Tsuna didn't know if that was an exaggeration or understatement when it came to Vongola's Cloud Guardian.

The Cloud Guardian continued to survey the area, not giving Tsuna any more attention than he gave everyone else. Tsuna jolted out of his shock and followed the Cloud Guardian's lead of ignoring him. Since Donato and Atsuka were giving each other the silent treatment, there was nothing he could comment on or reply to.

 _Why is he here? I didn't know that the Vongola Guardians visited Namimori!_ Tsuna knew that they all grew up in Namimori and that the Cloud Guardian seemed to be rather fond of the place despite what he showed Tsuna, but Tsuna didn't think that the man actually visited enough for Tsuna to bump into him.

 _Maybe he doesn't actually visit that often,_ Tsuna thought in horror. _Maybe he's here to test me or something. Hiiiieee!_

Trying his best to not think about the Cloud Guardian who walked past his group, Tsuna asked Donato about Romario, who was something like an uncle to his friend.

* * *

Akito-sensei was in his hospital room reading a thick book. He looked up at their knock and smiled when he saw that three of his students had come, bearing a basket of fruit.

"Akito-sensei, we hope you're feeling better," Atsuka said.

"Thanks, you three," Akito-sensei said. "There's nothing to worry about, since they'll release me later today. The doctors just wanted to make sure my ribs weren't stabbing into my lungs." He laughed at their horrified expression.

"How did they attack you anyway?" Donato asked and settled himself onto a chair. "All we've heard was that it was in an alley. I hope they didn't have a gun or a knife."

"Nothing of the sort," Akito-sensei said. "They had a black bag over my head so it was impossible for me to see. But I didn't feel anything like a gun or a knife pressed to me. I would have been even more terrified."

"I guess we should watch out for big groups, since no one knows who they are," Tsuna said.

Akito-sensei shook his head. "There were only three of them. And they sounded foreign. That's all I know." Akito-sensei stopped and eyed them. "Why does this sound like an interrogation, my dear pupils?"

"N-No! We're just curious, that's all!" Tsuna said with a wary laugh.

"Yeah! Everyone at school's been talking about you," Donato said.

"How times have changed," Akito-sensei mused. "When I was a student, we didn't really talk about the beatings we got, except for that time when Kokuyo…"

"Akito-sensei?" Atsuka prodded when his sentence trailed off.

"It's nothing," Akito-sensei said. "Just thinking back to my own years in school!"

"You were here when the Disciplinary Committee was practically in charge of Namimori, weren't you?" Donato stated.

Akito-sensei's eyes widened. Then he started to laugh. "To think that you know about that!"

Donato grinned. "My father was a teacher at Nami-chuu for a while, so of course I know."

"Hai, hai," Akito-sensei said. "Enough about the past. It's getting late. You three should be heading home to play or to study. Or something. Whatever teenagers do now."

"Air skates go on sale next week," Atsuka said. "Teenagers are all excited about that."

Akito-sensei sighed. "That's one more thing to look out for in school then. I wonder if the principle is going to ban them."

"I hope not," Donato said as he got up.

"Thanks for the basket!"

* * *

"What do we do now?" Tsuna asked when they left the hospital.

"We figure out where they attacked other people," Atsuka told Tsuna.

"Do you have a computer at home, Tsuna? We could use it to map out the other locations and maybe set some sort of trap," Donato said.

Tsuna gave both of them a quick look. _Are the two of them just talking to me and ignoring each other?_ "I don't have a computer."

"I'll bring mine then," Donato said.

"Okay, sure...wait, what are you talking about?"

"We'll plan it out at your place."

"Eh!? Why mine?" Tsuna shrieked. _The printout for my training schedule's still on the kitchen table!_

Last night, Lal Mirch had sent him a schedule that she created with the cooperation of the other guardians who were training him, so that it included everything that each guardian thought was important. Lal didn't have to include a note with the e-mail; Tsuna knew what would happen to him if he didn't keep up with his training. He could even imagine one of them dropping by unannounced!

"My house has too many people," Donato said.

"A-And yours?" Tsuna asked Atsuka.

"I think Donato would rather not come into my home."

Again, Tsuna found himself staring at the two of them, thinking that there was something really wrong with their relationship. Tsuna pulled his hair and sighed. "My house is just down that street."

They gave him relieved smiles. "I'll walk with you," Atsuka said.

"I'll only be a moment," Donato said and started running in the other direction. "Don't start without me!"

"You're the one who's bringing the computer!"

Their walk was quiet without the tension that suffocated him on the way to the hospital. _Those two must really hate each other,_ Tsuna thought. They passed the time with polite conversation, sometimes questions about Tsuna's time in Italy, which he answered _extremely_ carefully, and sometimes about Donato. What bothered Tsuna was that she took Donato's dislike toward her as if it was inevitable. And he didn't like that one bit.

Tsuna let out a sigh of relief when he finally saw the Vongola's safe house. "Here it is. Sorry, but I don't have a lot of stuff yet," Tsuna said after he noticed Atsuka was looking around the yard and through the front door when he opened it.

Her expression was one of curiosity and she laughed off his concern. "It's not a problem! I haven't been in one of the houses in the residential areas before, so I don't have anything to compare it to."

Tsuna didn't know what to say to that. Did she live in an apartment? Or a mansion? He tried to imagine her living in a mansion, dressed up fashionably and waited on by servants ready to serve her drinks beside a backyard swimming pool, where a table with an umbrella was prepared.

Tsuna sweat-dropped. _She probably lives in an apartment. If she lived in a mansion, why would she go to Nami-chuu when there are better schools around?_

"Do you want something to drink? I think I have something in the fridge for all of us. Just wait for me in the living room!" Tsuna took off his shoes and dashed into the kitchen. He found the paper and quickly shoved it into his backpack. Hearing that Atsuka was getting settled, he ran up to his room to hide his bag in the closet. He closed his door and let out a deep breath. _Phew._

Soon after, Donato arrived and they got to work. They looked for news articles and made markings on the map that Donato manipulated on his computer. There were a few moments when Donato and Atsuka sniped at one another when the attacks were in certain locations. Other than that, Tsuna found that they were working much better together than before.

"There are a lot more incidents than I thought there were!" Tsuna said.

"Me, too. I didn't know there were so many," Donato said. "I only heard about the really bad ones, but these smaller cases are also part of it."

"The major and minor attacks happen randomly. It's not like the attackers started small and went big," Atsuka said.

"Maybe they have two groups," Tsuna said.

Donato cocked his head. "Two? That makes sense, if they take turns in beating people up. That's just sick."

"That means there are more people involved than we first thought," Tsuna said shakily.

"Okay, I have an idea…" Atsuka said and explained her plan.

* * *

 **A/N:** That's it for today, folks. Thanks for reading :) Look forward to the next chapter! Our favourite dynamite wielding Storm Guardian finally makes his appearance!

 _ **-LLM**_

 _ **Updated 2016-07-13th**_


	11. Gokudera Hayato, Kid Angel!

_**Recap**_

Tsuna starts school in Namomori Middle School and finds out he is in the same class as his friend, Donato Cavallone, and another foreign student, Atsuka. His school life becomes much more interesting when people are attacked on the streets and Donato blames Atsuka for it, though Tsuna still doesn't know why. To prove her innocence, she promises to find those responsible. Tsuna, Atsuka, and Donato start their investigation!

* * *

 **Chapter 11**

 **~EO!~**

Chrome was lying on her front with her head resting on her arms as she looked down to Earth. Sometimes she would let out a quiet chuckle or an amused thought but other than that…she was bored out of her mind. She couldn't see where Tsuna's mission would lead him. It would take a while more before he could change anything in the world but she still hoped that it would be soon. There was a limit for even her, of what she can find exciting in Tsuna's daily life.

She looked dismayed when she saw Tsuna and his two friends plot to uncover the truth behind the attacks when even the police weren't able to. "I can't believe Boss managed to get himself involved in dangerous things in the same middle school."

Mukuro smirked. "Kufufufufufu…of course, I expected no less from him."

She smiled. "I'm glad that Boss will always come back to us. I don't have to worry about him...disappearing from these dangerous situations because if he dies, he comes back."

"Kufufufu. That's obvious."

"Of course Tsuna comes back to us!"

They looked up at Yamamoto who was making loops in the air and diving down to meet them.

"Someone's excited," Mukuro said.

"Who wouldn't be? Something's happening in the old mission!"

Mukuro's eyes sharpened. "Who?"

"Hayato and Ryohei, that's who!"

"You're joking," Mukuro accused and stood while bringing his wings out into the open. "They're too stubborn to die."

"Aren't you curious? You usually are!" Yamamoto said, already in the air.

"Kufufufu. I need to see this."

Chrome extended her own golden wings and sprang into the air. "To the border?" she asked, though she was already heading to where Yamamoto welcomed Tsuna back to the Elgan Order so long ago.

"What's happening in the old world?" Mukuro asked Yamamoto.

"I would have missed it if I didn't suddenly decide to drop by," Yamamoto said. "This is almost fifteen years after Tsunayoshi died. There's a group of Mafia families who created a pact together and their main operation is smuggling questionable medicine so they could use the money to fight the Vongola."

"Kufufufufu! I actually want to see how that will turn out. Will the Vongola finally fall?"

"That was your mission! Show some more care, Mukuro."

Mukuro only smirked. Yamamoto groaned. "Anyway…a group of their assassins attacked the eleventh Vongola boss while she was out with her Guardians, something that the old Guardians didn't find about until it was already happening. Only Hayato and Ryohei were close enough to help.

Again, Mukuro interrupted. "I would have just let them deal with it on their own. If they can't get through it without help, they aren't worthy of living."

Yamamoto gave Mukuro a glare.

"Joking."

"You can't tell jokes, Mukuro. We've gone over this. Your sick humour doesn't get any laughs."

"Go on, _baseball freak."_

"Ryohei and Hayato were split up. Ryohei got held back while Hayato went to help the Eleventh. They're in the middle of the fight right now. Either Ryohei or Hayato are going to join us soon."

The three angels landed and looked down to Earth.

It was sunny, a perfect day for the beach that they stood on. The eleventh Vongola, Tsuna's daughter in their old mission, looked so similar to Tsuna except for her hair, which was more controlled and her face, which looked more like Tsuna's wife's. She had the Vongola ring on her middle finger and another on her left ring finger.

"When did she get married?" Chrome murmured.

"A few years ago," Mukuro said.

"If anything happens, it's going to be Hayato," Yamamoto said quietly. "He'd sacrifice himself if it means the Vongola will carry on, especially if the Eleventh is on her way to creating her own family."

And they watched as the Guardians fought ferociously against the pack of deadly assassins. It looked as if the Vongola were going to win, but two of the assassins were standing side by side aiming a device at the Guardians. The bullets it shot out were coated with flames of all colours. They could see that the flames trailed back to the barrel of the large weapon.

Gokudera slung his Sistema CAI bone loops in front of the Guardians to shield them but the bullets still went through. Luckily, the Guardians were quick enough to dodge the bullets, which pierced through walls and metal alike, until it hit one of the assassins still fighting. The Vongola Guardians looked at the weapon with astonishment and fear; they hadn't encountered something that could penetrate Gokudera's shield before.

Gokudera was standing in shock, but moved out of the way when someone tried to attack him. All the Guardians went back to their own fight and Yamamoto could practically see Gokudera forming about a solution to the problem.

The assassins' numbers were falling and they fired the device at random, hoping to hit at least someone.

The Eleventh continued to fight five assassins, heedless of her broken leg. By now, she and her Guardians were standing to protect one another's blind spots. The one Guardian already severely injured was lying in the centre of their circle.

The assassins blocked their view of the weapon so that only Gokudera saw what was happening.

When the assassins controlling the device fired and spoke into their ear piece, the other assassins moved out of the way. The Eleventh saw the bullets but they were already fixated on her heart. Her fear quickly turned into steely determination and she stood her ground. She wasn't going to move if it meant that it would hit one of her family members.

Gokudera intercepted with his body and Sistema CAI. Like the Eleventh, Gokudera knew that even if he carried their boss away, the bullets would still hit one of the Guardians. If he used his bone loops to shove all of them away, some of the assassins they would definitely flatten might be able to sneak in a knife somewhere. His only option was to take the bullets himself. Those bullets, he realized, only stopped when they hit a living body.

Just before they pierced him, Gokudera released everything he had with his final resolve and destroyed the device and the assassins.

Chrome, Yamamoto, and Mukuro stiffened at the sight of Gokudera's crumpled body. Despite what they said…the sight of a dying friend is no laughing matter.

The Eleventh and her Guardians all froze for a second. After a roar of sorrow and anger, they continued to fight the rest of the assassins. While her Guardians fought, the Eleventh rushed to Gokudera's side and called for help, but it was too late. Yamamoto could already feel Gokudera pulling at the Elgan Order.

Gokudera used the last of his strength to pull the Eleventh closer and explained the mysterious device to her. He stared at the young woman and made sure that she understood everything so she could relay it to their allies. His Vongola Gear's Cambio Forma had transformed back to the Vongola Gear. Gokudera gave it to the Eleventh and told her keep it safe until a worthy owner came for it.

Then with a few last words, Gokudera died with a smile on his face, satisfied that he did more than he ever thought he would in life.

And in death, he began to ascend toward the Elgan Order.

* * *

"He's going to be upset about Tsuna being on another mission too soon and about not being there to see him off," Yamamoto remarked as they watched.

"Of course he would," Chrome said. "And I wouldn't blame him. Boss _is_ experiencing some…problems with the transition."

A very young Gokudera, around ten or eleven, was watching them with sharp eyes. They darted from one face to the next, his face giving nothing away.

Chrome always thought that he was too mature for a child, but the thought immediately after was always a reminder that he had been with the Elgan Order longer than the rest of their group of friends—that his apparent age meant nothing in their world.

By the time he landed on his feet, his face showed signs of recognition. He eyed Mukuro and said with a smirk, "You owe me."

"Oya? What are you talking about?"

"Don't try to lie to me. I remember the deal we made!"

Mukuro scowled. "I was hoping you at least would have a mild case of amnesia." Gokudera arched an eyebrow. Mukuro sighed and nodded. "Fine. I owe you. You can collect the debt at any time."

"Tch! Did you think I'd lose? I told you that I'd survive adolescence." Gokudera looked around. "Where's the boss?"

Chrome and Yamamoto looked at each other, wondering how they should tell him.

"Kufufufufufufu…He's on Earth, performing his new mission that he started a few days after he came back thirteen Earth years ago."

Gokudera stared at them for only a second before he exploded. " _What?_ Why is he on Earth so soon? He has to stay in the Elgan Order for a longer period of time than _one day—"_

"—Three days," Mukuro corrected with a glee. He had waited so long to rile someone up.

"— _I don't care!_ Does Byakuran know what will happen to Boss!? Hold on." Gokudera's face paled. "You said it's been thirteen years. He's been on Earth for _thirteen_ years?"

"More or less," Yamamoto said. He didn't like Gokudera's face. "What's wrong?"

Gokudera cast out his senses before asking, "Haven't you noticed anything off about the boss?"

Chrome nodded very slightly and whispered, "His memories."

Gokudera closed his eyes and internalized his panic. His friends know about it and have been keeping an eye on their boss. If something went wrong, they would have done something, with or without permission.

"Do you know anything about angels whose memories collided with their old ones?" Yamamoto asked.

Gokudera's eyes narrowed. "Old ones? You mean their memories from their time in the Elgan Order," he said for confirmation.

Mukuro shook his head. "Tsunayoshi's memories in the Elgan Order never returned to him when he died. He only retained memories of his old mission, the one you just died in."

Gokudera's frown deepened. "Let's talk somewhere else." His wings appeared and he gave them a testing twitch before launching into the air.

"I can't get used to how he does that so quickly," Yamamoto said. "He only came back two seconds ago."

Chrome expanded her own wings. "He's older," she said. "It's a given."

The four of them landed in their usual meeting spot where they went to watch Tsuna's progress on Earth. Gokudera raised an eyebrow when he saw Tsuna sneaking around with two other teenagers.

They explained to Gokudera about Tsuna's memories. About how Tsuna only remembered his old life. About how when he was reborn, it appeared as though he was reborn with a clean slate. But they were seeing signs that Tsuna's memories of his old mission were returning.

Then Chrome told him about the Fallen Angels causing a trouble in both the Elgan Order and on Earth. Byakuran's plan was to send some full-powered angels down to Earth to counter the Fallen Angels' attacks.

"I'm going," Gokudera said immediately. "If he's sending angels down to Earth to counter any attacks by the Fallen Angels, I want to help."

"You need time to gather your strength," Yamamoto said in protest. "It took me almost ten years to be even close to ready. It will take a few more to be in top condition. If Byakuran really needs us soon, you won't have the strength."

"I can try to speed it up," Gokudera said.

Chrome stepped up and placed a hand on Gokudera's shoulder. "Although you're older than me, I regain my strength faster than you," she said and showed him her wings. Gokudera felt their power and knew that it wasn't her limit. At this very moment, Chrome was still gathering strength to her.

"If your levels are only at ninety percent even after a decade, mine will only be at eighty," Gokudera admitted. Then he swore. "That bastard, Kyoya. He's the fastest of us all. If only he came back instead, he could definitely help Boss."

"If Kyoya was in your situation, he wouldn't have died," Mukuro said with an evil smile.

"Hell, no!" Gokudera said. "There's no way whatever happened wouldn't have killed him, too."

While they bickered and fought, Tsuna, on Earth, was trying to figure out whether the plan Atsuka and Donato agreed to was suicidal or smart…

 **~EO!~**

* * *

"This doesn't sound like a good idea," Tsuna said from his position behind his friends who were trying to act inconspicuous by ordering ice cream from a vender. "Isn't it a bit too easy?"

Donate gave Tsuna his chocolate cone and said, "It sounds like it would work," Donato said. "We tried to figure out what could go wrong already—"

"Like if they find out we're spying on them and they have more people than us," Tsuna prodded.

Donato paused in licking his ice cream. "Well...that's the worst case scenario. It probably won't happen. If it does, we can run back to your house. That was the plan."

Tsuna still thought it was too easy. But then again, Donato was right. There's nothing wrong with easy plans if they work. Maybe no one will figure it out because it was so easy.

And if it didn't work? Tsuna relaxed slightly when he remembered that he would be right there beside his friends to make sure they all made out alive. He fingered the A-Class storm ring in his pocket, still unable to light it with his resolve. He tried it with a different ring every day, but nothing worked. If he could wield a box weapon, he would feel much safer and more confident—a fact that he should probably never let the Vongola Sun Guardian know, considering the boxer would be disappointed and lecture him on the importance of hand to hand combat without the use of rings and box weapons.

"Okay, it's getting late. Do we all have our phones and ear buds?" Atsuka asked.

Donato flicked his ear buds dangling over his ears and Tsuna fished his cord out of his pocket. "Should I call you both then?" Tsuna asked with his phone out and ready. After receiving nods, he started a conference call with Donato and Atsuka, then tested that it worked.

"Okay. Just give a shout if someone…I don't know, hits you. Or something." Donato shrugged. "Make sure you pass by all the locations in your area."

"Be _careful,_ " Tsuna stressed.

Donato laughed and gave him a wave before setting off to walk through the residential area. Tsuna went downtown and Atsuka went toward the shopping centre. Eventually, they would all meet up at the amusement park if nothing happened.

Tsuna heard them breathing through their microphones and was reassured again about their safety.

For now, at least.

" _I feel like a secret agent,"_ Donato whispered through his microphone and made Tsuna chuckle.

" _Guys,"_ Atsuka said, _"I've walked through the entire shopping district."_

"So you're heading to the business sector?" Tsuna asked. "That's five minutes to downtown."

" _Eh?"_

" _Huh?"_

The two expressed their surprise immediately and asked, _"How do_ you _know?"_

"W-What?" Tsuna asked.

" _I didn't show you where the business guys worked,"_ Donato said. _"I didn't think you'd know where it was. Or even remembered, really, since we have nothing to do with them."_

Tsuna was so surprised at his own knowledge that he tripped over his foot. "Ite!" He got up and readjusted his ear buds. "I don't know how I knew. I just…I just knew?"

"…"

" _Tsuna,"_ Atsuka said in the silence, _"it's actually ten minutes to downtown."_

"Eh? Oh. I guess I was wrong," Tsuna said. "I wonder why I said five minutes."

" _It's a five minute run,"_ Donato said. _"Maybe that's what you were thinking?"_

Tsuna laughed. "That must be it."

" _Guys, back to the main issue,"_ Atsuka said. _"I think I'm being followed. That's why I was telling you that I was leaving the shopping district."_

Donato swore. _"You should have said something earlier."_

Tsuna pulled out his phone and opened the GPS app he installed an hour ago and found Atsuka's phone on the map. "I'm close t you but Donato's a bit far," he said nervously.

" _Which is why I'm running,"_ Donato said. _"I'll be there in a few minutes."_

"Me too!" Tsuna said and started running.

" _One of you should stay out of it to see how many of them there are…I didn't think that one of us was going to be their target,"_ Atsuka said and stopped.

"Atsuka?" Tsuna shouted.

Atsuka's voice came in a hushed whisper. _"I just turned a corner. Three guys are following a man down another street. They're not following me."_

" _So you were right about_ someone _being followed,"_ Donato said. _"What does this guy look like?"_

" _Um…"_ Atsuka said hesitantly. _"He's uh…"_

"Do you know him?" Tsuna asked.

" _No,"_ she said quickly. _"I'm sending you guys a picture."_

Tsuna stared at his phone when it beeped. He continued to run as he looked at the picture. He slowed down when he saw what Atsuka had sent them. Closest to the camera were three men dressed in ordinary t-shirts and jeans. All three were big and had their backs turned to the camera like the man they were following.

That man was the Vongola's Cloud Guardian. Tsuna was about to tell Donato and Atsuka that they didn't have to worry anymore since the Cloud Guardian could easily take down thirty men. What they _should_ do is call an ambulance.

But he didn't say anything. How would he explain how he knew the man and what he was capable of doing? "Let's stick to the plan and follow them to see who they work for," Tsuna suggested. _What am I going to say if they want to help the Cloud Guardian!?_

" _That sounds good,"_ Donato said. His voice evened out as he stopped running.

" _Yes, I agree."_

 _We must be close to them if Donato and Atsuka aren't worried about not making it in time to help the stranger,_ Tsuna thought.

" _They're heading toward the bridge,"_ Atsuka whispered. _"The water bank."_

Tsuna quickly skidded to a halt and ran back to take another street without conscious thought. Even when he realized what he was doing, he ignored the questions he had for himself and followed where his feet took him.

He met up with Donato and Atsuka, who were standing on the pathway above the water bank. "What…?" Tsuna looked down and stared. The three men surrounded the Cloud Guardian and had arrogant smiles in place. One held a baseball bat and two others were pounding their fist into palms. The Cloud Guardian continued to stand, unmoving and unworried.

He spoke and the three men answered with a sneer. After another short conversation, the man with the bat swung it.

Tsuna let out a small yelp before he could help himself. Seconds before he was hit, the Cloud Guardian produced a pair of tonfa and blocked the bat. They stood frozen in that tableau for what seemed like seconds.

The Cloud Guardian's other tonfa swept up and hit one of the other men in the jaw and the man fell. With a leg, he kicked at the other. Using his free tonfa, he rammed it into the bat-wielding man's stomach. The man grunted and fell with his two comrades.

It was over before Tsuna could even blink.

The Cloud Guardian collapsed his pair of tonfa and looked directly at his audience. Tsuna, Donato, and Atsuka were frozen on the spot by his gaze and couldn't move until the Cloud Guardian started to walk away. When he was far enough that he was only a shadow in the night, they cautiously approached the three unconscious men.

"L-Let's search them now," Donato whispered and bent down to the bat-wielding man. He raised the man's sleeves and peeled away his shirt to reveal his shoulders. On the left shoulder was a tattoo of an emblem. The other two men sported the exact same emblem—one had it on his neck and the other on his upper arm.

All three of them stared at the tattoos.

Tsuna recognized the tattoo straight away. Until that moment, he had forgotten his reason for being in Japan. At the sight of the tattoo everything came back into focus.

Back in Italy, he shot a Puniamo member to protect an innocent girl. Then the Puniamo woman came after Tsuna for revenge—it was only thanks to the Vongola that Tsuna was safely hidden in Japan. But with the family gunning for his head, there was no way he could forget their emblem.

 _Did they follow me here?_ Tsuna immediately scrambled to his feet and backed away. _No…no way. They can't be here for_ me, _right? There must be some other explanation. Did I not hide properly? Did I somehow attract attention to them? I totally forgot that I was supposed to be hiding from assassins!_

"Tsuna?"

Tsuna's head snapped to Atsuka who held a questioning look in her eyes. _S-Shoot! They don't know that I'm involved with the mafia._ "Do you think...since they have the same tattoo, they might belong to a gang or something?" he asked, to cover his silence.

Atsuka glanced at Donato who was still staring at the men. Tsuna couldn't tell what his friend was thinking since his head was bowed down and the sun was finally setting. Atsuka's eyes went back to Tsuna and she said very quietly, "It could be. Let's get out of here."

Tsuna nodded quickly, anxious to get away from those who hunted him. He waited for Atsuka and Donato to rise but they continued to crouch with the man holding the bat lying between them. "Donato, let's go."

Donato didn't respond.

"Donato." Atsuka's voice was sharper now. "We're three _kids_ who are too _weak_ to do anything if these men start moving and we're still here. _Tsuna,_ help me get Donato on his feet."

Tsuna only gaped at her for a second. "C-Come on, Donato. She's right. We have to go." _What's wrong with him?_

When Donato suddenly moved to grab the man's baseball bat, Atsuka launched herself at Donato. The two of them crashed to the soft ground with Atsuka trying to hold Donato back. Tsuna quickly joined in just as Donato thrashed his limbs and dislodged Atsuka from his back. He stood up as Tsuna grabbed Donato from the back and wrapped his arms around his friend's chest. Atsuka clung to Donato from the front. Their legs tangled and the three of them tumbled to the ground.

" _Let go of me!_ I'm going to beat those bastards until they can't stand. I'm going to let them rot. _I'll kill them!"_

"Donato, what's wrong with you?" Tsuna grunted when he got a fist in his face.

Donato suddenly stopped fighting them. Breathing hard, it took a while for Tsuna to hear that his friend was sobbing. _What's going on?!_ He continued to hold Donato but loosened his hold so it was more of a hug. He looked at Atsuka for help, but she was sitting next to them looking at her hands.

Tsuna didn't know how long they sat there but their phones started to ring. First, it was Atsuka's. She let it ring a few times before answering.

"I'm fine…Soon…I don't know…Don't worry, I'm with…friends."

Donato flinched in Tsuna's arms when he heard those words.

"Bye."

Donato's phone began to ring but he ignored it. When it started ringing for the third time, Atsuka pulled it from his pocket and looked at the screen. She hesitated and looked at Donato. The glow of the screen showed her reluctance to answer for him but after looking at the caller ID again, she braced herself and answered.

"…Hello?" she said tentatively. "It's Azzurra Menta. Donato's fine."

 _Azzurra Menta,_ Tsuna thought. _That must be the name she goes by at home. Sort of like me. Except I don't have a home._

Donato coughed and sucked in a deep breath. Then he sat up, pushing Tsuna's arms gently off him and he reached for his phone.

"Romario, I'm fine. I'll come back in about an hour." He hung up without listening to Romario's reply.

Donato stood up and sighed. "Sorry. I hit both of you."

"You're not going to do anything stupid, are you?" Tsuna asked carefully.

"No, I lost my cool back there. I shouldn't have done that."

"We understand," Atsuka said. She and Tsuna helped each other stand.

"Atsuka, I'm sorry."

Atsuka looked at Donato and gripped both his arm. She looked him in the eye and with a smile in her voice said, "I forgive you."

Donato winced and rubbed his arm. "You know…you're not too bad of an ally."

"Really?" Atsuka said with a tilt of her head. "Neither are you, when you're not trying to kill someone."

Tsuna looked at them from the corner of his eye. _Are they…bonding?_ Slowly, he smiled. They walked back to the main road, leaving the men behind for the police to find. As they walked, they recounted what they did and laughed at how they were able to hear each other eating ice cream while they were on a so called mission.

"What should we do tomorrow?" Atsuka asked.

"Homework," Tsuna said automatically. _Or I'll be tortured by—_

"What?" Atsuka exclaimed. "Tsuna, I didn't take you for a studious person."

Tsuna shrugged uncomfortably. "Well, Donato was lording over me about how he beat me with that math test. The science test is coming up."

Donato laughed loudly. "Science is my best subject, Tsuna! You're never going to beat me."

Tsuna punched Donato's arm and frowned inwardly. He was just thinking that if he didn't do his homework, he would be tortured by...someone. No matter how hard he tried to think of the name, it slipped from his mind.

* * *

Their first and second years of middle school passed by with no further incidents. Even the attacks were becoming less and less frequent—Tsuna suspected that the Cloud Guardian had something to do with it but he wasn't going to tell anyone that. He and Atsuka became fast friends and did everything together with Donato. Though Atsuka and Donato still looked uncomfortable together, Tsuna had hopes that their relationship had improved at least a little since That Time, when they found the Cloud Guardian beating up three of the Puniamo.

Soon, their second year was coming to a close and third year was upon them. Tsuna woke up to his first day of school with a massive headache, feeling as though his brain was going to burst. That wasn't good, especially if their teachers were all going to give them pop quizzes that third years always received on their first day.

"Wait. How do I know that?" He shook his head. _I probably heard about it from someone._

He dressed quickly while pondering how he knew what was going to be taught and how he felt that he was so ready for the material. Sometime during breakfast, he realized that his headache disappeared. Smiling, he left the house but he froze the moment he saw who waited for him.

Donato was leaning against the wall wearing jeans and a green sweater instead of Nami-chuu's uniform. Tsuna slowly let the door close behind him and heard the beep of the security system activating.

"D-Donato…"

"Yo."

"Why aren't you wearing your uniform?"

"Um…I'm moving back to Italy."

"Why?!"

"Look, it wasn't my idea. My dad and Romario did it to me."

"Th-That's…" Tsuna started walking. "Why didn't you tell us?"

Donato had an angry look on his face. "I didn't know that they were planning to actually move me back to Italy. They talked about it but I thought they were only _talking._ And they won't listen to me when I tell them that I want to stay here."

"But I don't understand. Why? Romario seems like a reasonable person. Your dad can't be that bad either."

Donato grimaced. "Sure, but for the past few years, my dad has gotten a little overprotective and he thinks that it might be safer if I was separated from…well, there's some problems with my family in Italy so I have to go back. I don't want to, but my dad insists that I be there."

When they reached the gates of Nami-chuu Donato said, "There's something else…you might want to watch out when Atsuka's involved."

Tsuna groaned. _Not this again_. "I thought you were friends now!"

Donato opened his mouth and closed it. "No…not really. I don't avoid her and I'm not defensive against her anymore but I'm sorry, Tsuna. I don't think we've progressed enough to be friends."

"You speak as though being friends with her is so hard," Tsuna said flatly. "You've been friends with her for two years. You just didn't realize it."

"Tsuna—"

"—I know friends when I see them. You're friends."

"N-No…we're not. We're not friends. How can we be friends and not know it? It's ridiculous."

"Donato…why don't you want to be friends with her?"

Donato gave Tsuna a helpless look. "I…" He shook his head. "Just be careful. She associates herself with dangerous people. I wasn't as worried when I was here, but I'm moving away tomorrow and it'll be just you two."

 _I don't understand!_ Tsuna wanted to scream and pull his hair out. _Why are you acting this way, Donato? What's wrong with you and Atsuka? What about her is stopping you from being friends with her even though I can see that you guys get along? What is it that keeps you apart?_

Tsuna swallowed his questions and gave Donato a small reassuring smile. "I promise, I'll be careful. I'm not as helpless as you think."

Donato looked relieved and he nodded. Giving each other a quick hug, Donato stepped back and waved. "I'll see you again."

Tsuna raised his own hand and only dropped his smile when Donato was no longer looking.

Dangerous? Atsuka? If anyone hung out with dangerous people, it was Tsuna. He's the one being trained by the Vongola, after all.

* * *

 **A/N:** Yep...I time-skipped 2 years. Haha. Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for all the alerts and favs :) I'm glad people are still reading this fanfic.

 **Updated 2016-08-05th**

* * *

 ** _-LLM_**


	12. Hiiie! My Friend is in the Mafia!

_**Recap**_

Tsuna, Donato Cavallone, and Atsuka Menta follow the thugs who were beating up civilians in Namimori and planned to do something about it. Instead, they witness the Vognola's Cloud Guardian finishing the job. When the three friends approach the unconscious men, they find out that the thugs belonged to the Puniamo Family. Tsuna panics, thinking that they were after him (since he injured one of their members before and they swore vengeance), while Donato tries to beat up the thugs for a reason unknown to Tsuna. Two years later, Donato leaves Namimori for Italy, giving Tsuna a warning to stay away from their friend, Atsuka...

* * *

 **Chapter 12**

 **~EO!~**

"Is _this_ why Tsuna was sent to Earth?" Yamamoto asked, pointing at Dino, who was talking to his terrified son.

Chrome pursed her lips. "But he's not in Italy right now. He's in Japan, where it's still safe."

Yamamoto zeroed in on Namimori and winced at what he saw. He laughed nervously and pointed. "It looks like that's about to change…what's that noise?"

Chrome stood up and tilted her head to catch the sound. It was a calm day with only a little wind to carry the…sound of voices. She gave the clear blue sky a once over and walked away from the edge to look down on the lower levels of the Elgan Order.

She saw a gathering of angels yammering away in frustrated and indignant tones. "Hayato started a fight with someone."

"What? Really? He hasn't even been back for a day!" Yamamoto looked down and sure enough, Gokudera was confronting an angel that neither of them knew.

Yamamoto and Chrome glided down to Gokudera and tried to pull him off the bigger angel.

"Hayato, you're going to kill him!"

"You can't die in the Elgan Order unless you choose to," Gokudera snarled. "You can only experience immense pain and—"

Yamamoto laughed as Gokudera started to shout facts while trying to elbow his friends off of him. _I missed this._ He approached again and with Chrome's help, separated the two angels. "Maa, maa…"

"What's wrong with that brat? I was just telling the truth," the angel on the ground said with a scowl. He sat with with a groan, clutching his stomach and nursing his jaw at the same time.

"'That brat' is a hundred years older than you," Chrome pointed out.

Gokudera brushed off her hand and straightened his clothes. "Byakuran's a jerk, but he fulfills his responsibilities as an archangel," he spat out. "You weren't here when the previous archangel was alive. I was, and I can tell you that Byakuran is doing a hell of a lot better than she was."

The other angel looked hesitant to believe Gokudera because of Gokudera's child-like size, but he walked away without another word of protest.

"Tch."

Yamamoto exhaled. "What was _that_ about?" The angels who were watching backed away and continued their own whispered conversations. From the words he heard in all the groups, Yamamoto had an idea of what it was about, but he couldn't believe it.

"Someone is spreading rumours to discredit Byakuran. They question his rule over us because Byakuran still hasn't found the angel who killed the Advisor."

Chrome frowned. "But the Investigator is in charge of finding the murderer."

"If they can blame him for something, they'll blame him. Causing unease now is only helping the Fallen Angels."

"You'd think angels would know better than to spread rumours like that," Yamamoto said with a sigh. Suddenly, his eyes widened. Angels _should_ know better. Every angel knows what could happen if they weren't united. He looked at Gokudera and Chrome, seeing in their grim expressions that they understood what it meant as well.

They had a traitor.

 **~EO!~**

* * *

Tsuna heaved out a sigh and sagged his shoulders the moment he shut the door to Vongola's safe house. The week was finally over and he didn't have to go back to school until after the break.

 _Not,_ Tsuna thought, _that it's hard._

None of the subjects gave him any trouble but there was just something about every class that made him tired. He didn't notice it at first, when his homeroom teacher started the lesson, but as the day wore on, he felt increasingly twitchy. He kept having that knowing feeling, when he knew something but couldn't say it. It kept him on edge the entire day, even when he was trying to relax with Atsuka, his only best friend, now that Donato left.

Turning on the lights and kicking off his shoes, Tsuna went to the kitchen to find something to eat while he worked through his homework. It was almost instinctive now to get the work done as soon as possible, even if the assignment wasn't due until a ways off—if he didn't, that anxious feeling wouldn't go away. As if something was glaring at him, daring him to procrastinate.

Just as he was putting aside his Japanese literature to start working on math, something slammed into his front door.

Tsuna nearly fell out of his chair and was saved only by his reflexes. He clutched the back of his seat, pencil still in his hand while his other gripped the table's edge. Then came the ferocious ringing of the doorbell and frantic pounding on the door.

He approached the door as though a wild beast was lying in wait on the other side.

"Wh-Who is it?" Tsuna stuttered into the intercom.

" _TSUNA, OPEN THE DOOR, PLEASE!"_

Tsuna's pencil clattered to the floor. He slammed his palm onto the buttons to disengage the security—Atsuka fell in and crawled away from the door faster than he could blink.

The moment she was through, Tsuna slammed the door shut and engaged every security measure he could. All the lights in the house turned off and a series of clicks echoed as locks for all doors and windows were engaged. Then an unfamiliar hiss ran through the house as the ventilation from outside closed off and artificial air spat out of the vents in quiet reassurance.

The house was completely silent save for Atsuka's ragged breathing and Tsuna's phone, which had started to ring the minute he activated the lockdown procedure. He raced to the kitchen and fumbled with his bag to find the phone. He found the glaring screen and answered the call.

" _Hello,"_ Vongola's Rain Guardian said when Tsuna answered the phone. He spoke with a flat voice, void of all emotion.

"I-I'm okay." Tsuna stumbled back to the hallway where he could still hear Atsuka's breathing. He tripped once and landed next to her. She let out a hiss.

"… _Someone's with you."_

"That's my friend! I don't know what's going on but it sounded like an emergency. I'm sorry…"

There was a pause and then a laugh which put Tsuna at ease almost instantly. _"No, no! It's fine! You did the right thing. I worried for a moment that someone might've taken you hostage. Are you both alright? You're uninjured? I can have someone there in minutes if you need help!"_

"I think we're fine…" Tsuna trailed off as he heard shouting outside. Pressing his ear to the door, he concentrated on hearing what the angry voices were saying.

" _Azzurra Menta, where the hell did you hide? Show yourself! I'll have my revenge if it's—"_

" _Shut up. Do you want the entire neighbourhood to hear you?"_

Tsuna gripped the phone tighter and looked at Atsuka. With his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he saw her outline but still nothing that told him if she needed medical attention. "Atsuka, are you hurt?"

She gasped and took in another breath. She weakly hit Tsuna's leg with her hand and repeated the gesture. Ignoring the Rain Guardian's voice for a moment, he tilted the phone so he could use its flashlight to shine it on her.

The first thing he saw was a smear of blood on the floor.

" _What the..."_ Tsuna left the phone on the floor and scrambled for the light switch.

There was blood trailing down the right side of her face, though as head wounds went, it didn't look too serious. One eye was closed while her other looked at him in shock. Her white uniform was stained with dirt and blood while her knees were bleeding from various cuts. Her left sleeve was in shreds. "What happened?!"

Atsuka shook her head. "It's not as bad as it looks."

"C-Can you stand?" Tsuna asked and reached for her uninjured arm. She leaned all her weight on Tsuna and let him guide her to the kitchen where he could help with the wounds. He pushed his homework to the other end of the table and helped lower her onto his chair. Then he heard his phone ring.

" _Ahh!"_ Tsuna groaned and ran to pick up his phone. "Sorry! She's hurt!"

" _How badly?!"_

"She could walk," Tsuna said and started to move. "I don't think it's too bad."

" _Do you remember everything we taught you about first aid?"_

"Yes!"

" _Okay…call me again when she's bandaged up. You'd better hurry to her."_

"Right," Tsuna said. He hung up and looked at Atsuka in bewilderment. "Do you want some water?" he asked and went to fill her a glass before she could answer. He set it on the table and took out the first aid kit that he found on his first day.

Atsuka yelped as Tsuna cleaned her wounds and she accidentally kneed his chin. She apologized profusely while Tsuna brushed it off with a grimace.

"Okay, that's done," Tsuna muttered to himself. He felt calmer after seeing that it really wasn't as bad as it looked in the hallway. "It doesn't look like you'll need stitches…"

Atsuka drank the water and wiped the blood from her face with a cloth. "Thanks."

"Will you tell me what's going on?" Tsuna kept his eyes on her arm as he asked the question, not sure if he wanted to read the expressions on her face. She didn't answer him and he continued to bandage the arm. A few minutes later, he moved to her knees and glanced at her from under his bangs. He stopped, looked at her fully, and sighed. "You fell asleep!?"

Her eyes were closed and her breathing evened out, as breathing was prone to do when one slept. He finished taping the last bandage and carefully, keeping the struggle to a minimum, dragged her into the living room to lay her on the couch. He pulled a blanket over her and entered his own room, where he finally let himself panic.

...

"Do you know how long it took to find you?" the red haired man asked.

A blonde stepped out from the trees behind her, effectively trapping her on the secluded playground. The nearest house was within screaming distance, but she didn't think that they would give her the chance to call for help.

"Who are you?"

"You know who we are, Menta. We're your allies."

"We _used_ to be allies," Blonde corrected. "Now we're back for revenge. Betraying us to side with the Vongola wasn't a good move, Menta."

"I had nothing to do with it!"

"Your father did, didn't he? He was the one who gave us up. Why would the Vongola take in a family of traitors?"

"We never wanted to do business with you!" she said through gritted teeth. "You forced us to do every single thing that we regretted. My family was a mess because of your meddling. If anyone should be taking revenge, it's _me."_

"Big words for a small girl," Red remarked.

"You know who we are and you know exactly what we do to those who cross us or go against us," Blonde said. "We punish them."

"Is that why you're here? You've been beating up the civilians!"

"Of course. You're the resident Mafia family in the area. This is Vongola territory, isn't it? They allowed your family to live in it and they clearly hoped that you might protect the people living here. What will they think when you can't even stop a single gang from hurting them?"

"Enough," Red said. "We've decided that we won't beat up any more civilians. That idea is taking too long to hurt the Menta. Instead, we're skipping all the way to the top."

"So be nice and come with us…Azzurra Menta."

"As if!" she yelled and threw her bag at Blonde. While he was blinded by the items spilling from her bag, she ran past him.

But she wasn't fast enough. His box weapon was already out. He had metal claws attached to both hands and he used one of them to swipe at her as she tried to escape.

With a gasp, her steps faltered but she continued to run while she put her own ring on a finger. Red flames immediately coated the ring. When she pressed it into her box weapon, nothing happened. Confused, she tried again.

Nothing.

She ran down the endless street, the signs blurred until she couldn't see them—couldn't see anything except the road ahead.

Red and Blonde were still after her, shooting flames at her, not even caring if anyone heard.

The sun was setting. It was late enough that everyone was already indoors.

She tripped. Got back up.

An animal covered in storm flames pounced on her and hissed. She shrieked. It bit. Using her hands, she ripped it off and threw it behind her back.

Suddenly, she knew where she was.

She had to run faster.

Almost there.

She was almost there.

So close.

Tsuna was only a few houses away. She could see the light through the kitchen window.

Strong arms grabbed her from behind. They had caught her. There was no escape. No way to get help—

...

Atsuka flung herself off the couch with a scream lodged in her throat.

She stared at the digital clock on the wall, the colon blinking sleepily back at her as though wondering why she was awake.

06:55. SAT.

For a frightening moment, she didn't know where she was. Did they actually kidnap her? She looked around in the dim morning light and noticed the table next to her. On it was a biology textbook that had a small piece of the top left corner ripped off. She relaxed. A year ago, Donato had accidentally burnt Tsuna's textbook when they were in home economics. Then he figured that the only way to save the book was to chop the burning corner off. She had laughed her head off at the scene.

"Ughhh…" Atsuka rested her forehead on her knees.

A door on the second floor opened and she heard shuffling footsteps come down the stairs. Thirty seconds later, she saw Tsuna dressed in blue pajamas walk into the living room while covering a yawn. He rubbed his eyes and said, "Good morning…"

"Good morning, Tsuna."

Tsuna nodded and teetered toward the kitchen. He stopped in the doorway and turned back around to give her another look. His eyebrows scrunched together and his mouth opened in question. "Wait…why are you in my—" Then with dismay, Tsuna remembered last night's events. "You were being chased by those bad guys!"

Atsuka's mouth twitched upward. Trust Tsuna to lift the mood with his absentmindedness. "Uh huh."

Tsuna hurried to sit down across the coffee table from Atsuka and studied her critically. "You look better than last night. You nearly gave me a heart attack when you came in covered with blood!"

"Now you're exaggerating…"

Tsuna shook his head and gave her a worried frown. "Atsuka…what's going on?"

She hesitated and fought with her instinct to lie. She didn't really have to lie to her friends about being in the Mafia. Actually, she only ever _avoided_ the conversation when Tsuna was around since she didn't want him running away from her like the friends she had as a child.

Then Tsuna's stomach let out a loud growl.

Atsuka snorted out a laugh at the sudden sound that brought her out of her thoughts. This was Tsuna. Tsuna, who helped her and Donato find out who was behind the attacks in Namimori. That could have gone bad very quickly...and yet he stayed with them.

He wasn't like her old friends.

This was Tsuna.

"I could tell you, but you have to promise to not let anyone know," Atsuka started.

Tsuna sat up and nodded. "I won't tell. I promise."

"It's not like…a big secret or anything…okay, I guess it is. It'll cause some pretty big uh…issues if it got out. Anyway…I'm…gosh, how do I say this?"

"I'm…?" Tsuna started with a shrug. "You are…what?"

"...part...of…the…Mafia…?"

She watched Tsuna carefully after she said that, a small smile touching her lips. She bit it back to stop it from developing into a full grin when she saw Tsuna's face turn from patient to confusion to a slow shock.

Then to her disappointment, he became dubious. "What? _You're_ in the Mafia?!"

"I'm not joking!"

Tsuna's expression turned to horror. _"Seriously?"_

Atsuka nodded twice.

"Oh." Tsuna leaned back and just stared at her. Just stared while slowly shaking his head. "I'm dreaming. I'm dreaming."

She prodded him with a finger to his shoulder. "Is it that bad?"

 _H-How am I supposed to answer that?!_ Tsuna thought. _If I say it's bad, she'd probably think I don't want to be friends with her anymore. Besides, I can't say it's bad because I'm involved, too. I'd be a hypocrite. But being part of the Mafia_ is _bad!_

Tsuna groaned and rubbed his head quickly. "Okay, it's…surprising! It's surprising! I just wasn't expecting it…" Tsuna said with a weak laugh. "Does Donato know?"

Atsuka winced. " _I_ didn't…tell him that my family is in the Mafia."

Tsuna was slowly nodding his head and looked at his hands thoughtfully. "Are you hungry?"

The question came entirely out of nowhere. "What?"

"Sure, it's super early and it's a Saturday, but we're up, so we might as well eat. What do you want? I have eggs, rice, and some things left from last night…"

Atsuka followed Tsuna into the kitchen and little by little, let herself relax when he didn't show any signs of avoiding her. They pieced together a meal and started to eat. Between mouthfuls, Atsuka told him a few things about her life before Nami-chuu. By the time they were finished, she had started to tell him what happened to her last night.

"After we finished clean up, I went home my usual route but two guys stopped me. They…accused my family for betraying them. But we never wanted to have a partnership with them in the first place! It was forced on us. When this big shot family offered us a chance to escape, we took it. We joined them and their allies, severing all ties with the Puniamo." Atsuka frowned. "But some of our members are still influenced by Puniamo ideas so there were some...problems for the years after. They kidnapped one of our mutual allies' son. I don't know a lot of the details, since I was only around six when it happened."

"That's why they're attacking the citizens," Tsuna murmured. "Now we know. Why didn't you tell us after we found out that the attackers were part of the Puniamo Family?"

"I didn't know that they were here for me," Atsuka protested. "It could have been a whole lot of other reasons. They're enemies with our new allies, remember?"

"Right, sorry," Tsuna said, inwardly swearing. _So they're not here for me, but they're here for one of my friends. What am I, cursed to be connected to the Mafia wherever I go?_

"I'll help with cleaning up, since you did most of the cooking," Atsuka said.

"No, I'll do it! You might get the injuries wet."

"A bit of water won't hurt. It's really just a scratch. I'll just find someone with Sun flames heal me later."

 _Sun flames…_ Tsuna stared at his hands again before balling them into fists. _I wish I had Sun flames. Or any flame, at this point._

The water tap turned on and Atsuka started the wash. _Donato was right about some things. She's definitely mixed in with dangerous people._

* * *

 **~EO!~**

"Ami?"

"No, that girl's too docile."

"That George, from the New York region?"

"He's still on his mission so there's no way he could be the spy."

"What about Katsuro?"

"That wimp?" Gokudera snorted. "He flinches whenever he hears Kyoya's or Mukuro's name. Unless he suddenly grew a spine while I was gone, there's no way he would risk the punishment that comes with betraying us."

"I didn't think you knew him," Yamamoto said. "After all, you don't really pay attention to those you consider weak."

"Then why'd you suggest his name?" Gokudera demanded.

Chrome laughed. "You did say every angel we knew."

Gokudera grumbled under his breath and scowled, though his chubby cheeks made it look more like a pout.

"We've named all the angels that we know," Chrome said. "There might be some new ones and some very old ones that we missed."

"None of them sound promising as a spy…" Gokudera muttered. "But they could be really good at faking it. Who could it be?"

"Do you think they're also the ones who murdered the Advisor?" Yamamoto whispered.

"The Investigator said that the one who did it used their Angel Dust, right? One angel's Angel Dust is only poisonous to a few specific angels. Like how Boss's Angel Dust is Kyoya's and Mukuro's weakness. If only the stubborn old fool would tell us more, we might have a better idea," Gokudera said.

"It's not like the Investigator's going to give it to a bunch of young angels," Chrome said.

"Kufufufufufu… He won't be giving it to anyone."

Gokudera's head snapped up all the way to see Mukuro standing behind him. He scowled. "What do you want, Pineapple Head?"

Mukuro scowled. "Why are you calling me that?"

Gokudera smirked, his big emerald eyes twinkling. "I read in the files that it pisses you off. It's true, isn't it?"

Seeing the twitch in Mukuro's hand, Chrome figured that he was going to reach for a weapon soon. "Mukuro-kun," she said and forced herself between the two boys.

Mukuro shifted to give her more space but he continued to glare at Gokudera past her shoulder.

"What do you mean, the Investigator won't be giving anyone any information?" Yamamoto asked.

"Kufufufufufufufufufu…"

"Spit it out!"

"He's dead."

"What?" Yamamoto and Gokudera said.

"The Investigator was killed earlier."

"And you tell us this _now?"_ Gokudera demanded. "Why didn't you contact us the moment you knew?"

"I was trying to find out more first."

"What did you find?" Chrome asked.

Mukuro frowned. "Not much. Byakuran had it closed off as soon as he was alerted to it. He's trying to control the crowd right now."

Yamamoto looked toward the direction he sensed a large gathering of angels. "Is it that bad?"

Mukuro also turned to face that direction and hummed. "I left before it got that big. Maybe there's a riot now."

"A _riot?_ Angels don't _riot_ ," Gokudera said.

* * *

"Kufufufufu…Apparently, angels _do_ riot," Mukuro said. "Whoops." He dodged to the side as an angel was thrown in the air, headed straight for him. He kicked the angel away.

Angels were taking sides and fighting one another. In fear and in pure panic, they were attacking each other, not caring if the other person didn't want to be involved. Chrome had to duck as an angel fell toward her. She wondered out loud, "Why are they acting so panicked? Is it because of the rumours that were spread around?"

"Hey, stop that!" Yamamoto shouted and broke up a fight between two angels. He hit them over the head and carefully lowered them to the ground. He made his way to the centre, where most of the trouble and Byakuran were. The archangel in question stood quietly among the crowd, observing the mess with cool, critical eyes and a firm mouth.

He was waiting to see what would happen.

Yamamoto glared at him. _It's not going to suddenly end on its own! Is he trying to figure out how each angel reacts to a riot? That's not worth it!_

An angel who was about to attack Yamamoto was knocked away by Gokudera.

"Thanks!"

"Tch. Pay more attention, idiot!" Unlike his friend, Gokudera didn't care where the angels landed. After all, they wouldn't die. So he punched, kicked, jabbed, and elbowed angels until he created a wide circle around himself. Then he threw himself into the fray again. A stray fist would hit him but he would roll with it and deliver a heavier blow on the angel. At times, he saw Chrome's grim expression in the crowd or Mukuro's wicked grin. He fought back to back with Yamamoto for the last stretch, when Byakuran finally decided it was going too far.

The archangel flew higher in the air, dislodging those who clung to him. He started to glow until everyone had to shield their eyes or look away. _"That is enough,"_ Byakuran said. His tone was low and froze all of them in place.

Slowly, every angel was forced to land. Byakuran's presence increased until the pressure made a few buckle under the weight.

"I won't tolerate this again," Byakuran said softly. "From anyone." His eyes bore into each of theirs and promised pain and misery if they disobeyed him. None wondered at why he allowed it in the first place. "Do you understand?"

When the echo of his voice died, the angels whispered.

"Yes."

 **~EO!~**

* * *

 **A/N:** Hello, hello! I hope you guys are all ready for a new school year, if you're still in school. Thanks for reading!

Who's ready to meet Reborn!? (I might've mentioned that I wasn't going to include canon Reborn, which still stands. AU's Reborn, however, somehow made his way into the next chapter without telling me)

 **Updated 2016-09-05th**

* * *

 ** _-LLM_**


	13. Reborn!

_**Recap**_

Tsuna finds out his friend, Atsuka, is part of the Mafia the night she took refuge in his home when she was attacked by Puniamo Family members. Meanwhile, in the Elgan Order: Chrome, Yamamoto, Mukuro, and Gokduera suspect that there is a traitor in their midst, someone who is working for the Fallen Angels.

* * *

 **Chapter 13**

 **Age 15**

 **Day 1 of Break**

Tsuna turned off his computer after printing his plane ticket. He grinned when he imagined presenting his gift to Donato in person. Tsuna was lucky that it was over the break, which meant he had a week in Italy to hang out with Donato and to visit some of the Vongola Guardians before returning home.

He looked around his sparse room and realized he only had a duffel bag. _Is that enough? I hope there's a suitcase somewhere in this house._

* * *

"Yes, I'm all packed and ready to leave," Atsuka said. "You called twice already." She tossed a pair of socks into the suitcase and went to find her tablet. "I'm leaving tonight. Of course Lui is coming with me. He's my guardian." Atsuka zipped up her suitcase and lugged it down the stairs. "I'll see you and mom tomorrow. I'm looking forward to spending the week in Italy with you two again!"

Atsuka pocketed her phone and shouted into the house. "Hey, Lui! Are you ready to leave yet?"

"I'll be right there! Last check of the place."

"You know that our guys are still living here while we're away, right?" Atsuka asked.

Lui came down the stairs with a snort. "Yeah, and I know that they might slack off without you here to watch them. They worship the ground you walk on."

Atsuka chuckled with a shake of her head. "Let's go. The plane leaves in two hours."

"Plenty of time," Lui said. "Do you want me to take that for you?" He gestured at the suitcase she was hauling into the trunk.

"I can do it. Instead, have you seen my tablet?"

Lui gave her a narrow-eyed stare. "Did you check the kitchen? I saw you using it last night while you were eating the _last slice of cake."_

Atsuka stifled a laugh. "Sorry about that. I'll be right back."

She returned in under a minute and clambered into the car. "All set."

Her phone chimed a message. She opened it and chuckled.

 _I'm not going to be in Namimori for the week. I'm going back to Italy to visit Donato._

She texted, _I won't be here either. Did you bring notes to study for the exams?_

 _On my tablet,_ Tsuna texted. _Not sure how often I'll actually look at_ _them,_ _though._

 _I'm leaving for the airport now._

 _Safe flying then._

* * *

Tsuna put his phone on the table and got ready for bed. "I guess she's leaving because of those bad guys," he mused. "It would be safer to get away from here and go home with those Puniamo lurking around."

Then Tsuna frowned. Wouldn't there be even more Puniamo in Italy? He shook his head. Most of her family was in Italy as well, which meant that she was going to be better protected there.

* * *

Day 1

Tsuna stood by himself in the airport, trying to find a familiar face. He was jostled by a few anxious passengers and he tightened his grip on his suitcase.

"Tsuna!"

He whirled around. _I swear I just heard the Rain Guardian..._

"Tsuna!"

Tsuna turned again and waved at the man. He pulled his suitcase along. After exchanging greetings, the Rain Guardian looked him from head to toe. "It's hard to tell when just video-calling but sheesh, Tsuna! You grew a lot!"

"That's what happens when you're away for a couple years," Tsuna said with a snort.

The Rain Guardian chuckled. "Come on, I have a car waiting for us. You'll be bunking with me while you stay here." He led them outside the airport to where a black car waited for them.

"You don't need to do that," Tsuna said. "I can take care of myself."

"It'll be easier for all of us," the Rain Guardian said. He started the car and they shot off. Tsuna sucked in a breath. He had forgotten how crazy the Rain Guardian drove.

The Rain Guardian continued the conversation without a pause. "You'll be easier to contact in case we need you for anything. Back-up will be closer if the Puniamo tries to do anything to you while you're here. Those guys can sure hold a grudge."

Tsuna shivered at the reminder of the deadly family. "Thanks for putting up with me. I still feel like a freeloader, though."

The Rain Guardian laughed. "Well then. What do you think of doing some odd jobs for the Vongola?"

"Odd jobs?" Tsuna sounded as dubious as the offer did.

"Security, for one. Let's say...if the Vongola is having a party, could we count on you as a hired security guard?"

"S-Sure..." _Wait. If the Vongola has a party, doesn't that mean the guests are part of the Mafia!?_

"Great. I'll tell Lal about it. She'll know whether you're fit for duty. You're meeting up with her tomorrow, you know."

"I'm guessing that you guys want to test me?" Tsuna asked in resignation. He wasn't looking forward to meeting Lal again. He was sure that he missed practicing something. And yes, he couldn't help but slack off on some days when he was too exhausted to do anything. He had a feeling that he was going to pay for it soon.

"Definitely," the Rain Guardian said with a nod. "She's meeting you at the usual place. You might want to pack a bag."

Tsuna's face paled. "A bag? What kind of bag?" He hoped it wasn't what he thought—

"You might camp out there for a few days."

—Yeah. He was doomed.

* * *

"Sawada! What do you that sloppy technique?" Lal screamed from a distance. "I don't remember teaching anything that pitiful!" She stood with her arms crossed and with her shotgun slug over a shoulder. Her eyes were hard as she watched every move Tsuna made against his sparring partner, Colonnello. The boy's moves weren't too bad, Lal admitted. He was still rough around the edges but it was nothing a few days of training wouldn't fix.

"Colonnello! Stop going so easy on him!"

"I'm not!" Colonnello shouted back and grinned at Tsuna. "You ready for another go, kora?"

Tsuna sucked in a breath and braced his hands on his knees. He kept an eye on Colonnello as he tried to catch his breath. He barely nodded when Colonnello attacked, his fists flying and feet kicking.

 _BAM! BAM!_

Tsuna swerved to the left and shrieked. "Lal! I didn't know you were part of this!"

Lal reloaded her shot gun. "Who said that you were fighting one-on-one? Shape up!" She fired another bullet. Colonnello evaded it easily and watched as the bullet passed him and spiralled toward the general direction of Tsuna's head.

Tsuna's eyes focused on the bullet and froze.

" _Giotto!"_ Colonnello reached out an arm, but he was too slow.

The bullet whizzed by Tsuna's forehead, left a burn mark, and lodged itself in a tree.

Colonnello's tackle brought both him and Tsuna to the ground. He shook the boy, who was still unresponsive. "Tsuna. Giotto! Answer me, kora!"

 _'Die.'_

"Why didn't you dodge the bullet, Giotto?" Colonnello was still shaking him.

 _Who...?_

 _'Go die once.'_

"Kora!"

 _'You'll know when you die.'_

 _Re...born..._

"Re...born..."

"Giotto!"

Someone was calling his name. From far away, past the fog...Tsuna's eyelids fluttered open and he squinted at Colonnello, who was hovering over him. "Ugh...Colonnello? What happened?"

"You failed to dodge a bullet to the head," Lal said. She walked toward them, every step more menacing than the first.

His eyes widened and he felt his throbbing head, which until now, had been numb.

"Didn't I warn you about being distracted during a fight?" Lal asked. She yanked Tsuna into the air by his collar and shook him like a toy. She dropped him to the ground after giving him a few slaps on both cheeks. "Damn brats don't take dangerous things seriously!"

"Are you sure you're alright, kora?"

"Ah...uh, yeah, I should be. Sorry, I don't know what happened just now. I was ready to dodge the bullet, but I didn't."

Lal narrowed her eyes at him. Then she grunted. "You were muttering something."

"I was?"

"...You said 'Reborn'."

"'Reborn'?" Tsuna repeated. "Why would I say 'Reborn'?"

"Well, he had a habit of shooting his pupil in the forehead," Colonnello said. "Maybe you heard of him from somewhere and thought you were in a similar situation."

Tsuna's jaw dropped. "Why would he shoot his student in the forehead?! I don't know anyone like that!"

Lal huffed. "Then _why_ did you say his name?"

"I—I did? I don't know why. I just..." Tsuna shook his head. What was he thinking? He just remembered blanking out and someone's voice...a child's voice. They were talking to him, but no matter how hard he tried, Tsuna couldn't remember the words. It was right there. He clawed at the murkiness that enveloped his mind once in a while, but no matter what he did, it was smoke. He couldn't catch smoke. But there was something _solid_ here, in this murky part of his mind. He could _almost_ reach it—!

"Giotto? Are you okay?"

His hand closed over smoke. Soon, even the smoke escaped his grasp. Tsuna sighed. "Yes, I'm fine. Sorry about today."

"Just try not to let it happen again," Lal said. "I can't have one of the Vongola's apprentices dying during training."

Colonnello turned stricken eyes to Lal and pressed his hands to his heart. "What!? Lal, I didn't know you cared about your trainees so much! Wasn't it only me, kora?"

"Shut up! I just don't want the Vongola to nag at me. That brat can be annoying when he puts his mind to it!"

 _Not sure if you can still call a grown man, who's also the Vongola Boss, a brat..._ Tsuna thought. He gulped when Lal directed her glare at him again.

"Anyway," Lal said, "I can't think of any reason for why you would say Reborn's name. And I'm not going to dismiss it as though it meant nothing. It has to mean _something_."

Tsuna hunched his shoulders and sighed. "If it does, I don't have a clue," he said. "Who _is_ Reborn, anyway?"

Lal and Colonnello shared a look of incredulity. "You really don't know," Colonnello said. "This must be the first time someone in the Mafia doesn't know his name. People at least know the _name,_ kora. He's the number one hitman in the world!"

Tsuna's eyes popped out of his head. "T-The number one h-hitman? I would know if I bumped into someone that scary!"

Colonnello chuckled. "Do you want to test that, kora?"

"What do you mean?"

"I heard he's coming back from a mission today. Where did he say he was going?" Colonnello asked Lal.

"Tsk. Vindicare," Lal said.

"We can get him to drop us off at the Vongola Mansion on his way back," Colonnello said and stood up. He pulled Tsuna to his feet as well and started walking.

"Come on, kora! Grab your bag and let's go."

"No!" Tsuna dug in his heels. "I don't want to meet a hitman!"

Colonnello smirked and continued to drag the boy. "You'll be fine. Don't worry, he probably won't kill you, kora! I can't wait to tell him his celebrity status dropped, kora."

* * *

After calling Reborn, the three of them waited by the road, the same side as on-coming traffic. Colonnello perked up when he heard a car engine. Staying in the shadows, he leaned outward slightly and grinned. "Here he comes."

Lal nudged Tsuna and jerked her head to the left. Tsuna gave her a curious look but followed her lead. "What are we doing?" He looked over his shoulder and to his surprise, he saw Colonnello climbing the tree he was leaning against. "Colonnello's climbing a tree... and Falco's carrying a rifle..."

"It's so he can aim at the car."

"Wait. Car? I thought that was Reborn's car?"

Lal nodded.

Even more confused than before, Tsuna watched as Colonnello set up his rifle and lied down on the thick tree branch. He had a grin spread across his face as he watched the deep purple sports car approach.

 _BAM!_

The moment the gun sounded, the car swerved, just in time for the bullet to only take out the right wing mirror.

 _BAM!_

Again, Colonnello missed.

The driver side window slid down and Tsuna saw a black barrel stick out, aimed at Colonnello.

"What's happening!?" Tsuna screamed and covered his ears while shots from a handgun rang out.

The car drove past Colonnello's tree.

Colonnello swore. "Missed him again."

A few metres away, the car stopped. The driver's door opened and a man wearing a black suit stepped out. Tsuna's eyes instantly gravitated toward the man's shoulder, where a green chameleon sat. It was the one oddity of the man. His black fedora, black with an orange band, shadowed most of his face from Tsuna, but Tsuna could still see the man's smirk.

"Colonnello," the man said, "was that supposed to kill me?"

"If it did, I'd be very disappointed, kora!"

"How was your visit at Vindicare?" Lal asked.

Reborn grunted. "Everything's fine. He brews some fine espresso there." He turned his gaze to Tsuna. "So? This is the latest one you wanted me to meet? He looks as useless as the Tenth was when he was that age."

Lal snorted. "Giotto is much more capable than that brat was at fourteen." Lal called out to Tsuna, "Stop creeping around the shadows and come here!"

Tsuna was nailed to the spot. It wasn't that he didn't want to move. It was that he couldn't. His hands and knees shook so much just from the sight of Reborn. He didn't know what would happen if he approached the hitman. The foreboding feeling was almost too much to bear. And yet...

"Giotto!"

The moment passed and Tsuna was released from whatever trance he was caught in.

Tsuna exhaled. "Okay, I'm coming." He glanced at the Reborn as he passed the man.

And yet...there was _something_ about the hitman that felt...safe?

He met Reborn's eyes and the thought left his mind as quickly as it came. Nope. Not safe. Never safe. How could he even think the world's greatest hitman was safe? He was insane to think it.

Reborn got into the driver seat while Colonnello and Tsuna piled into the back and Lal took the front passenger seat.

"So did anything noteworthy happen while I was away?" Reborn asked as he shot off like a bullet. Tsuna slammed into his seat, but everyone else was prepared for it, and they continued the conversation as though manic driving was normal. Heck, maybe it was.

"Hmm," Colonnello said. "The twins won a music competition yesterday."

Reborn smiled.

It wasn't a smirk. Nothing sly or malevolent. To Tsuna's amazement, it was an honest, proud, and happy smile.

"Do you have a question, Tsuna?" Reborn asked.

 _Shoot! He caught me staring!_ "Um...who are the twins?" _Rule number one of not attracting the number one hitman's attention: Don't stare at him!_

"They're the Storm Guardian's children," Reborn answered.

"Aside from blood family news," Lal started, "The Puniamo has made another move."

Tsuna grabbed Lal's seat. "What?"

"What are they doing now?" Reborn asked. "Kid, sit properly. I don't want your head smashing through the window."

"This isn't even your car," Colonnello said. "You would've killed me if that wing mirror was yours."

"This is Skull's car. I borrowed it—"

"—Borrowed. Right," Lal muttered.

Reborn ignored her. "But I don't want the hassle of explaining why there's blood on a shattered window."

Tsuna immediately straightened with his back pressed against his seat.

"So? What are the Puniamo doing?" Reborn asked again.

"They attacked Longchamp's family last night. Their headquarters got spared, but most of his men are wounded and the outer wall of their property is destroyed. We managed to keep the police from noticing, thanks to Verde's Mist Intervention gadget, but we don't know how long it'll last if these attacks keep up."

"People who aren't part of the Mafia are kept out of it, kora," Colonnello said. "Even the Puniamo try to keep them out, if only to keep these fights to ourselves."

Reborn grunted. "Hypocrites. They're the ones who purposely attack the police officers who put their members behind bars. _Puniamo._ Their entire existence is to punish."

He sped down the mountain, taking the sharp turns at ridiculous speeds that made Tsuna nearly scream every time. Eventually, Tsuna blocked out their conversation and the ride by closing his eyes and blanking his mind.

Reborn glanced in the rear-view mirror. "The kid looks scared."

Lal snorted. "Of course he would. Your driving is suicidal."

Reborn chuckled. "You're the one who wanted a ride. I could have left you up here."

"We _were_ supposed to stay a few days," Lal murmured and glanced at Tsuna, who had fallen asleep. She was impressed. To be relaxed enough to sleep in Reborn's presence was a feat not many achieved. "Something strange happened to him." She explained what happened during training and added, "Then he said your name."

"I'm not the most famous hitman for nothing," Reborn said.

"Don't be so full of yourself, Reborn. He said he never heard the name before. As far as we know, you've never met him."

"You do know his full past, right?" Reborn asked.

"Of course we do, kora. You even checked it out yourself before you let him meet the Vongola. You stalked his apartment and his friends."

Reborn grunted. "That reminds me."

"What is it?" Lal asked.

"He's childhood friends with Donato."

Colonnello and Lal stared at Reborn. "Really?"

"Why didn't Giotto tell us, kora? Better yet, why didn't _you_ tell us?"

Reborn shrugged. "I didn't think I needed to. And about why the kid didn't tell you. Apparently, Donato forgot to tell his friend he is in the Mafia."

Colonnello chuckled. "Giotto is in for a surprise. Dino was looking for a bodyguard for Donato and Decimo offered to help."

Reborn smirked. "Oh?"

"Lal recommended Giotto because he also goes to school in Namimori."

* * *

"Kora! It's time to wake up!"

Tsuna stirred and turned his head away from the voice. "Five more minutes..."

Someone snapped a magazine to a gun.

Tsuna bolted straight out of his seat and hit his head on the car's roof. "HIIEE!" He spun around as he looked for the threat that made his hair stand on end.

All he saw was Colonnello's amused face and Reborn, who was giving Tsuna an irritated look while putting something away into his coat. Lal was already out of the car and walking up the steps of the Vongola Mansion.

Tsuna quickly clambered out, not liking the look the hitman was giving him. Reborn and Colonnello exited after him and Reborn tossed the keys to the black-haired youth standing nearby. "Have someone return this to Skull."

"Of course, Reborn! Glad to see you're back."

Tsuna gazed up at the mansion. Its bricks were worn with age and mismatched from repairs and general reconstruction. The doors were beautiful, but thick with a metal core. He gulped as he passed them and was instantly hit with a blast of cool air in the foyer. He didn't have time to admire the decorations on the wall or the windows that allowed light to pool onto the tiles—Lal's impatient growl was enough to make him run.

"Who are we meeting?" Tsuna asked when he finally caught up.

"The Storm Guardian."

He nearly tripped over his own feet. "T-The Storm Guardian? Why am I meeting him?" _I still can't light a single Dying Will flame!_

"We're giving you a job. You said you wanted to pay your rent, right?"

Tsuna felt bewildered. What was she talking about? And then he remembered. The Rain Guardian had asked him yesterday if he wanted to work off his rent. Tsuna had said yes. To bodyguard duty. Blood drained from Tsuna's face as he realized that he was going to have to protect someone. Didn't he just nearly die today in training? He wasn't ready for this!

Lal didn't bother to knock when she reached the Storm Guardian's office. She walked right in. After Tsuna entered, the doors closed behind him.

The Storm Guardian was working behind his desk, reading reports and writing information down. He was so focused that Tsuna wasn't sure if a screaming child would have caught the man's attention.

Lal went up to the Storm Guardian and rapped her knuckles on his desk four times.

"What?" he asked.

"The job for Giotto."

"Here." Without looking up, the Storm Guardian picked up a file from the right side of his desk and handed it to Lal.

She opened the folder and flipped to the second page. "Wasn't he supposed to guard Dino's kid?"

"Dino refused. Said his son needed a guard who could fight against flames. In this time, everyone's demanding a flame user. Sorry, Giotto, but that's how it is. Are you able to use flames yet?"

Tsuna shook his head. "N-No."

"Then that's it. After what happened to Diana, Dino's not going to let just anyone guard his only child, especially when we're fighting against the Puniamo."

"So when you said he was guarding the heir who lives in Namimori...you meant the Menta girl?" Lal asked, skimming through the file.

"Yeah."

"W-wait, are you talking about Atsuki?"

The Storm Guardian finally looked up from his papers. With a start, Tsuna saw that the Storm Guardian looked more haggard than he had ever seen the man. Whatever was happening in Italy was more serious than anyone made it out to be if the Vongola's right-hand man looked like this.

"You know her?"

"She's my friend. She's in my class," Tsuna said. "I found out she was in the Mafia, but I didn't think you'd tell me to guard her!"

"You're not guarding her, really," Lal said. "She can protect herself, but there's only so much that a teenager can do on her own. Her father put in this request after what happened to her in Namimori. The Menta family didn't have anyone who could suitably blend in with her current life, so her father asked the Vongola for help."

"So it's not that different from usual," Tsuna muttered to himself.

The Storm Guardian waited until Tsuna met his emerald-coloured eyes. "You're being paid to _guard_ her," the Storm Guardian said. "No matter what Lal or the girl tells you, you're hired to be her guard when she is not at home. You're representing the Vongola with this job, kid. Don't mess it up. Who knows? Maybe Dino will let you—don't you know Dino's son?" the Storm Guardian interrupted himself to ask a question that he should have asked earlier.

"Uh—who?"

The Storm Guardian furrowed his brows. "I'm sure that Menta and Cavallone are in the same class. If you're Menta's classmate, you should also know Donato Cavallone."

Tsuna's knees buckled and he dropped onto the seat in front of the Storm Guardian's desk. "Did you say Donato Cavallone!?"

The Storm Guardian raised an eyebrow.

"He's my best friend," Tsuna murmured. "I've known him since I was a kid." _I didn't know he was in the Mafia. Both Donato and Atsuki are in the Mafia. So am I. How did this happen? Atsuki...she knew he was in the Mafia._ Tsuna remembered when she said _she_ didn't tell Donato she was in the Mafia. A truth that wasn't the full truth. Donato knew. She just didn't have to tell him because they ran in the same world.

The same world he ran in now.

The Storm Guardian returned to his work. "Aside from what happened the last time, there shouldn't be anything to worry about. Most of the action is here, in Italy. What you should worry about is the rest of your vacation here. It may be your last if you're not careful."

"I just came back to surprise Donato," Tsuna muttered. "It's his birthday soon."

Lal let out a frustrated growl. "Giotto!"

Tsuna shrieked. "H-Hai!?"

"Stop looking so depressed! And it's time for you to continue your training; you're going to meet the Menta family in three days."

" _W-What!?"_

"Do I have to repeat myself?"

"No, never mind!" Tsuna shook his head with his hands outstretched. "I heard you!"

Lal slapped Atsuki's file to Tsuna's chest and started for the door. "That's the file on Azzurra. Make sure you read it."

Tsuna stared at the plain folder that held information on one of his friends. A friend that he was supposed to protect. He opened it and started to read as he walked out of the Storm Guardian's room.

He closed the file. At the door, he turned around. "Um...thanks for the job."

"Don't thank me just yet. Being a bodyguard is the most annoying job you can have."

"What do you mean?"

The Storm Guardian threw down his pen and sighed long and hard. "The person you try to guard usually ends up wandering off on their own, making their own plans, faking their deaths to save the world, deceiving the protector for their own good—it's stressful and bad for your blood pressure. It's a thankless job where you have to keep _both_ eyes on the body or else they'll get themselves _killed_ or in a state similar enough to death to _piss me off._ That's not even the worst part of it—" the Storm Guardian stood up and started to pace.

Tsuna nodded slowly. "I'll um...I'll leave you now." He closed the door as lightly as possible and began to walk. He nearly bumped into Reborn, who was leaving Decimo's office.

"Sorry!"

Tsuna was close enough to Reborn that he smelled the gunpowder clinging to the hitman like perfume. Looking up into the shadow of Reborn's fedora, Tsuna saw eyes, eyes so black and bottomless that he thought his soul was being sucked in.

"I'm not the Grim Reaper."

"What?"

"I'm not about to steal your soul from your body."

Tsuna's jaw dropped. _How did he know what I was thinking!?_

"I can read minds," Reborn replied with a straight face and walked away.

Tsuna whirled around to stare at Reborn's back, not sure if he should call the hitman's bluff or just walk away and pretend the encounter had never happened.

* * *

 **Anonymous Reviews  
**

 **KK:** Thank you so much for the kind reviews! I've edited chapter 4 a little. As to your latest review (which gave me cold sweat at first until I read the entire post and now I'm EXTREMELY happy), that is also a good point. I've come up with something to (hopefully) fix that plot hole and I hope it's alright! It'll be appearing in a few chapters.

 **A/N:** According to google translate, _punire_ means "to punish" in Italian. The name _Puniamo_ is derived from the verb _punire._ If this is incorrect, someone please tell me so I can start digging a hole for my embarrassed self. Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed it :)

 **Uploaded 2016-10-07th**

 **Edited 2016-10-10th**

* * *

 _ **-LLM**_


	14. The Strongest Guardian

_**Recap**_

Tsuna and Atsuka separately return to Italy during school break. Once there, Tsuna gets into a training accident with Lal that ends with them meeting _The_ Hitman Reborn, who gives Tsuna the scary vibes, for sure. But sometimes, Tsuna wonders why he is able to fall asleep while the man's driving like a lunatic. Oh, and Tsuna finds out his best friend, Donato, is part of the Mafia. Not thinking anything of it, the Storm Guardian assigned Tsuna the role of body guard to one Azzurra Menta, otherwise known as Atsuka, Tsuna's friend and classmate.

* * *

 **Chapter 14**

 **Day 4 of Break**

The sound of gun shots echoed through the demolition site.

Tsuna pulled the weapon's trigger and cartwheeled away to hide behind a building, just as the enemies fired shots covered with Storm flames. When the shooters stopped their attack, Tsuna stuck his head out to assess the problem before pulling back.

From above, a man jumped down to land behind him. Tsuna leaned away from a punch and kneed the man hard, then pushed him aside as another assaulted him with a knife.

The knife got caught in the first man's shoulder and Tsuna shot the second man. He threw the first man out onto the street.

Tsuna reloaded and shot at the forklift truck next to a demolished building. As the propane tank exploded, Tsuna stood from his hiding spot. Body half shielded, he fired four times, each bullet finding its mark. He breathed hard as he waited for one of the enemies to react. When they didn't, he lowered his hands and wiped his face. "Okay," he said to himself.

The scene before him shimmered out of existence, leaving behind a large, empty training room. Tsuna took a minute to catch his breath before leaving the room to put away the VR goggles and weapons. Then he reset the system.

He climbed the steps up to the main level of the Rain Guardian's house. The only sound he heard came from the ticking of an analogue clock the Rain Guardian had in the kitchen. The man had left earlier to meet with the Sun Guardian and hadn't returned, which meant Tsuna wasn't going to see him at all; today was his first day on the job and Atsuki was not one to stay put. Already, he received a call about her wanting to leave her house. Tsuna had to accompany her.

He pulled on his black coat, which covered the weapon Lal insisted he wore at all times, since he still couldn't light any flames. With everything that was happening in the Mafia, Lal was really strict on that rule.

Tsuna's mind flashed to the moment when Lal's bullet sped toward him. He had stiffened when something infiltrated his mind. A thought...there was an image of a similar bullet aimed right between his eyes. And the word he apparently uttered: _Reborn_.

Tsuna shook his pounding head. "No, don't think about it. It'll just give you a headache," he muttered. He pocketed the variety of rings the Storm Guardian still insisted that he carry and left the house.

Still, his mind wandered to the hitman and the Mafia. He replayed in his mind every word the hitman said and tried to match it to someone he might know. Like he told Lal, he was sure he would have remembered meeting someone like Reborn, so he wasn't surprised when his mind didn't give him an answer. _But it still feels like I've met him somewhere._ The dangerous aura Reborn shrouded himself with suited the hitman and was definitely something that Tsuna knew he _should_ be afraid of. He was quite sure he actually was afraid of the hitman. And yet he thought he could relax in Reborn's presence? How can he fear someone yet think he was safe?

Tsuna groaned and tugged his brown hair. "It's making me crazy!" Then he pressed the Menta Family's doorbell. _HIIE! When did I arrive!?_ _Wait a second...I don't think I told Atsuki I was..._

Running footsteps grew louder as someone ran to the door.

" _Miss! Please let me answer the door! You don't know who is on the other side!"_

" _Oh, I've had it with your pampering! You're driving me insane!"_

" _It is to protect you, Miss! It might be kidnappers!"_

" _In front of my own house? I don't think so."_

Tsuna gave the door a wary look and took a cautious step back.

"Finally!" Atsuki said when the door was yanked opened. "I thought you were never going to—Tsuna?" She backpedalled and stared at her friend, who looked equally surprised to see her at the door. "What are you doing in front of my house?"

"Um..." Tsuna tried to smile. "I'm...your bodyguard?"

Another figure was running full-tilt toward them but stopped right behind a speechless Atsuka. She tried to pull Atsuka back into the house while the other hand reached for the door. "Miss, this is not how you open a door to strangers!"

Atsuka was still staring at Tsuna with her mouth moving silently as she tried to find the words to express her confusion. "What—but, I—what's going on?"

The woman sighed. "You're not listening to me at..." she turned to glare at Tsuna. "You're from the Vongola?"

"Y-Yes!"

"Hm..." the woman narrowed her eyes and looked at Tsuna from the top of his head down to his shoes. His hair was as uncontrollable as ever. He was wearing a black coat with a blue t-shirt beneath, and a pair of ordinary jeans. No matter how one looked, Tsuna gave off the appearance of an average teenager. It didn't look like he could hurt a fly. "Miss, maybe I should go with you."

Atsuka snapped to attention and shook her head emphatically. "Oh, no you don't. If you go with me, I'll get nothing done. You stay here and do whatever padre told you to do. I'm leaving now!" Atsuka grabbed Tsuna's arm and practically dragged him away from the house.

He stumbled as he tried to keep up with Atsuka who was practically running.

"Atsuka, wait!"

"You're part of the Vongola?" Atsuka didn't slow down, but Tsuna's steps faltered.

"Y-Yeah. Sorry, I couldn't find a good time to tell you."

Atsuka stopped at the red light and whirled to face her friend. "Maybe you could have said something when I told you about the Menta Family?"

Tsuna winced. "Yeah, I guess I could have. Are you angry?"

"Am I _what?_ No, I'm not angry! I'm just..." Atsuka gestured in the air. "How did you get involved with the Mafia in the first place?"

"That's a long story," Tsuna said.

"One of these days, we're going to have to sit down somewhere, and you'll have to tell us..." Her blue eyes narrowed. "Wait. Does Donato know?"

"Er—no. But I did find out that he's part of the Mafia. Why ask?"

"Just seeing if I'm the only one who was left in the dark."

The light turned green and they crossed the street.

"I feel like _I'm_ the one who was left in the dark," Tsuna said.

Atsuka gave Tsuna a sad smile. "I'm sorry. I guess we should have told you earlier. Donato even more so. You are childhood friends with him, aren't you?"

"He probably didn't want me to get involved. Now that I know he's Dino Cavallone's son...I realize that he lost his sister to the Puniamo. His reaction to the Puniamo members in Namimori makes sense now."

Atsuka nodded. "After they killed her, things started to escalate. I heard that the Vongola are trying to stop a full-scale battle from happening, but my father thinks it's inevitable. The Puniamo just don't know when to stop. Why are they doing this anyway? It doesn't make sense."

"Oh? We don't make sense, do we?"

Tsuna and Atsuka froze at the voice coming from the shadows of a building. A woman emerged from a cloud of Mist flames with two others, all with evil grins.

In a flash, Atsuka brought out a box weapon that she had hidden in a pocket. Then she raised her left hand in a fist. Only then did Tsuna notice that the ring she wore on her middle finger was a Class A Storm ring. She lit it and opened her box weapon. It was some sort of cross between arm guards, knives, and guns...but he didn't get a proper look because his eyes were focused on the woman.

He could never forget her face. It was the same woman he shot in the market two years ago. At the time, she was tailing the Rain Guardian. Then things became hectic and the woman had taken a young girl hostage. That was when Tsuna first shot someone.

"Y-You're." Her long hair was dyed red now, and she had added more tattoos to the ones she already inked on her face, which helped to disguise the scars she most likely gained from her years in the Mafia.

Her grin widened. "Yes, you remember me, don't you, boy? I still have to return the favour."

"Tsuna, you know her?"

Tsuna hesitated before nodding. "Not really, but..."

The woman purred. "The boy shot me," she said, imitating a whine that didn't suit her face. "He didn't even think about what that would do to my skin when I finally healed. It left such a beautiful scar on my arm. And now I think I should pay him back. I think a hole through his chest would look just fine, don't you?"

Atsuka's hands gripped the knives attached to her arm guards and readied for an attack.

"And you, dear girl, don't you have manners?" The woman scoffed. "Pulling out a box weapon on an unarmed woman. How rude."

Atsuka's eyes hardened. "As if you're harmless!"

The woman smirked and pulled out an ordinary gun. On her ring finger, she wore a Storm ring. "It would be wonderful to fight Storm-to-Storm, but I don't need a box weapon to deal with you. Get them!" She raised her gun and fired it at Tsuna, who had moved before she even spoke.

 _We're outnumbered! There's a Mist user somewhere. That's how she appeared like that. Who knows when that person will join the fight?_ Tsuna ducked a blow from one of the men and pushed him. The woman fired another shot at Tsuna, this one missing him by an inch as he jumped away.

Atsuka was holding her own against the other man, using her weapons to keep him away as he tried to grab her. Tsuna's eyes widened when he saw the man reach into his coat pocket for something. Before he could pull out his weapon, Atsuka lifted her right arm guard and pressed something. Storm flames shot out from a hidden barrel to sear the man's right arm. He screamed and backed into the woman who was just about to shoot Tsuna.

The woman scowled at the screaming man and called over her shoulder, "Marco, what are you doing? Come out and play!"

A man with brown and blond hair appeared out of Mist flames and gave the woman a bored look. He turned to look at Tsuna and Atsuka, who were fighting back to back against the two Puniamo thugs.

"No thanks," Marco said. "It looks like you have things under control."

Tsuna didn't think he could be any more worried. He glanced at the newcomer. Now that the Mist user appeared, they were fighting against four people, even if the man said he wasn't going to participate. Their best bet was to run—

 _That man..._ Tsuna dodged a blow to the head and kicked the thug again in the same spot. He stole a quick glance at the Mist user. _His hair is different and he has an ear piercing now, but..._ Tsuna's eyes flickered to the man's neck. The man had a red tattoo peeking out from under his shirt's collar.

From what Tsuna could see, it looked like the same tattoo he saw on the man when he was thirteen. And before then, when he was just eleven.

When he was eleven, he had run into a group of teenagers who were just about to fight. He knew now that the teenagers were split between the Cavallone and the Puniamo Family. The Puniamo, including Marco, had used Tsuna as a hostage against Diana and the other Cavallone teens... But Marco didn't do anything to help or to harm Tsuna. He just stood there, like he did now: standing in the background, he watched Tsuna and Atsuka fight for their lives.

The second time Tsuna saw Marco, Tsuna was thirteen and Diana was walking Tsuna home, protecting him from thieves. There wasn't a fight that time. Marco merely taunted and threatened Diana before walking away. Well, considering how Diana really did die by his family's hands, maybe the threat was actually a warning, since no one would be stupid enough to tell the enemy what they're going to do, even if it were a taunt. Which was...weird, considering the circumstances. Why would he...?

The thug punched Tsuna in the face and he stumbled back. _That's what I get for being distracted! Better yet, what is he going to do this time?_ Tsuna thought. With a chill, he remembered Marco's words to Diana.

" _Just so you know, even if a few of your family came, I could still win—my control over my flames increased quite a bit from the last time we fought."_

That was two years ago. Marco probably has total control over his Mist flames now.

The thug Tsuna fought against pulled out a gun. Tsuna dodged another of the woman's bullets and drew his own gun. He shot the thug in the leg before the thug could shoot, then he turned to face the woman, but she was ready for him and had shot his gun out of his hands before he could aim it at her.

She smirked, thinking that she had the upper hand. "I didn't think you'd have a gun, but you should have used it earlier when you had a chance."

" _Listen up, brat."_ Lal's voice echoed in Tsuna's mind, from a long-ago training exercise. _"One day, you're going to face someone who's armed when you're not. What do you do?"_

" _Dodge? Run?"_ Tsuna had said.

" _You can't dodge forever and a bullet can still hit you if you run. You attack."_ [ **A/N:** DISCLAIMER: DON'T BELIEVE ME BECAUSE I DIDN'T RESEARCH THIS. In fact, wouldn't recommend being near a gun at all.]

 _I can't believe I'm going to do this._

Before the woman could take aim, Tsuna ran toward her. She was so surprised that she stiffened and realized too late that she shouldn't have hesitated. Tsuna grabbed her arm, forcing her to aim the gun at the sky. Still, she didn't loosen her grip on her gun until Tsuna twisted her arm and Atsuka fired a Storm bullet into the woman's side just as the man she was fighting grabbed both her arms.

As Tsuna and the woman fought for the gun, one of them pulled the trigger. They stilled, not sure who was shot. A moment passed and then the woman fell, blood pouring from her right foot. Tsuna shoved her away, thinking only of Atsuka, who was in danger.

Or...not.

Atsuka twisted her arm and a hidden blade flared slid out of its compartment. It sliced the man's flesh.

When the thug released her, she and Tsuna bolted from the scene. Tsuna looked behind him, but the Mist user—Marco—wasn't in pursuit. Instead, he had his hands on his hips and was shaking his head at the three Puniamo members writhing on the ground in pain.

* * *

 **~EO!~** _  
_

Yamamoto whistled. "That punch is going to bruise tomorrow."

"Kufufufu...I'd like to fight that Mist user."

"Oh?" Yamamoto chuckled. "Is he that good?"

Mukuro smirked. "If I were in their world and I had Mist flames, I could defeat him. Kufufufufu. I just want to see what he'll do when he's forced to fight against the Vongola."

Yamamoto frowned and studied Mukuro, who was sporting a rather smug smile on his face. "What do you mean?"

"Kufufufu."

"Come on, Mukuro. Now isn't the time to be cryptic! Are you trying to say Tsuna's going to magically make him side with the Vongola?"

Mukuro just laughed and shook his head. "If you want to know, you should've focused on people other than Tsunayoshi when he wasn't doing anything interesting."

"Oi! Are you two coming or what?!"

Yamamoto and Mukuro tilted their heads back and saw Gokudera flying toward them.

"What?" Yamamoto shouted back.

Gokudera glided in circles around their heads. "Tch! I was trying to tell you about Lambo and Kyoya. Chrome found out that they're fighting two against four."

Mukuro cocked an eyebrow. "So?"

"Against _four_ _whole Mafia families."_

"Oya? You should have said so sooner." Mukuro's wings materialized in a flash.

"Is Chrome watching them now?" Yamamoto asked when he lifted off from the ground.

Gokudera sped up and performed an upside-down flip to talk to Yamamoto. "Yeah, she's keeping track of what's happening, since neither of you heard me calling the first time."

"Ah...I've been...haha..." Yamamoto scratched the back of his head. "I blocked everyone from my mind, since I couldn't risk the spy trying to contact me telepathically and seeing or hearing something they shouldn't."

Gokudera flew down two levels of the Elgan Order before replying. "The Council is getting really nervous about having two empty seats. First the Advisor dies, and then the Investigator. If any more of them are killed, the system will be dangerously unbalanced."

"And you mention this because...?" Yamamoto prompted.

"They're going to have to fill in those seats some day. Who do you think they'll choose?"

"I wonder if our dear old Sawada Tsunayoshi is on the list," Mukuro mused.

Yamamoto laughed. "He can't be. He's our leader. What's the Akane Team without Tsuna?"

"He's on it," Gokudera said.

Yamamoto's eyes narrowed and he turned to face the highest level of the Elgan Order, Byakuran's domain. "No way."

Gokudera grabbed Yamamoto's shirt collar to tug him away from that direction. "If they're satisfied with Boss's actions on this mission, they're thinking of giving him one of the seats."

"Tsuna...is Tsuna ready for it?"

"Boss is ready for anything! And those aren't empty words; I've watched him mature and grow ever since he joined us. He's smart and dependable. He does what is right."

"Kufufufu. And that is why he's not going to be chosen," Mukuro interrupted. "You don't need to worry about things that won't happen, Takeshi. Tsunayoshi is too strong-willed to obey commands that go against his ethics. If the Elgan Order happens to command him to do something that goes against his self-proclaimed mission to help the world...chances are, Tsunayoshi would rather die than obey."

"Ha-ha... Yeah, that doesn't make me feel better."

"It's a truth. Kufufufu. Truths hurt."

"Of course, I'll be with the boss no matter what, so they'll have to kill me first," Gokudera said. "When you think about it, there's no way they'll take him away from us."

Gokudera dipped down and dove through a layer of clouds. When he emerged, he spotted Chrome sitting on the edge, near the entrance to the Elgan Order. She spared him a glance when he landed, but her attention went back to the fight she was watching.

"They just walked into an ambush," she said.

Yamamoto botched his landing. "I clearly wasn't listening. Did you just say that _Kyoya_ walked into an _ambush?"_

"According to his information, it was only supposed to be a few members from the enemy families. But the enemies' allies found out about Kyoya-kun's plans and pulled out everything they had. The four enemy families are attacking him at full force. Lambo came to help as soon as he realized what was happening."

"Where are the other Vongola members?"

"Too far." Chrome considered her statement. "People seem to be too far all the time."

"Where are they?" Mukuro asked. He watched as Hibari and Lambo fought back-to-back, each of them armed and fighting for their lives. He commended the enemy Mafia families for attacking at full strength instead of only sending out one team. Sure, the four families might get wiped out, but on the up side, they might successfully take out the Vongola Cloud Guardian.

"You mean where are the Vongola? All their forces are going to other places, to deal with different problems. It looks like the entire situation was a set-up, just to eliminate a few of the Tenth's Guardians. Kyoya-kun took this mission upon himself to finish; this is the third time fake pharmaceutical drugs are heading to Namimori."

Yamamoto winced. "That would do the trick."

Ten of the enemy went down and fifteen more took their place. Hibari rolled his shoulders and charged in, with Lambo cleaning up the ones left in the Cloud's wake.

Attacks bounced off Lambo as though they were flies and he shot an electric shock through the ground just as Hibari delivered a flying kick. Underground lightning took out the twenty enemies surrounding them just as Hibari finished kicking down his opponent. By the time he landed, the ground emitted only the slightest sparks.

" _Your timing is better,"_ Hibari said.

" _Yare, yare, of course I've improved. What kind of role model would I be for my subordinates if I electrocuted Hibari Kyoya?"_

" _Hn."_

" _This is going to be a tricky fight,"_ Lambo said just as their enemies recovered from witnessing their comrades falling like flies.

Hibari bared his teeth in a smile that widened into a fierce, bloodthirsty smirk. _"Leave anytime, herbivore. I'm just getting started."_

Yamamoto could feel something akin to arctic frost crawl up his spine. He didn't blame the enemy for freezing at the sight.

" _Hell, no. I'm not leaving you behind!"_

Hibari gave Lambo a hollow smile. _"Don't get in my way."_

What followed couldn't be described as anything but a bloody battle. The building that stored the drugs exploded in the next fifteen minutes. To their enemies' extreme disappointment and fear, the two Vongola members managed to avoid being killed.

The relentless attack and defence continued for what seemed like hours.

Just as Lambo released an attack, he saw an enemy shoot a blast of Lightning flames. He moved quick enough to only be grazed, but he swore under his breath for even that injury.

Though the enemy didn't notice yet, Hibari knew Lambo was beginning to slow. Just slightly. He moved in so he was fighting a little closer to the younger man, but not close enough that anyone could accuse him of hovering. Besides, the Lightning Guardian didn't necessarily need speed. He needed space and things to destroy.

"What are their chances of winning?" Yamamoto asked.

Hibari's opponents let out blood-curdling screams before they fell. Some continued to sob even after Hibari moved on. Those, and more, succumbed to Lambo's electric shocks. Again, Lambo tried to attract the enemies' weapons to him, but they were smart enough to not use iron. Clearly, they did their homework concerning all of the potential Vongola members they'd have to face.

Chrome furrowed her brows at Yamamoto's question. "Their chances of winning? Not good. Kyoya-kun is no pushover, but after what he had to deal with for months before now? Tortured, starved, sleep deprived, wife and subordinates being kidnapped and killed, murderer on the loose, finding the murder, fighting against a team of insane _Mist_ _users,_ of all people, and finding out about this drug shipment...he's dead on his feet. He and Lambo-kun are barely holding it together. Everyone else has their hands full and they're in similar straits. Lambo-kun's doing his best to attack the enemies in bulk, but there is just so many of the enemy to face..."

"Kufufufufu. Such a bleak assessment. You took the words right from my mouth."

"Mukuro-kun, you would've gleefully stated he will die."

"That's still a possibility."

"Those bastards have a few strong members," Gokudera said as Hibari's attacks were stalled again, this time by a woman who held her ground with a fan and Mist flames.

They battled for six minutes, five minutes longer than the previous enemy, but it went no further. Hibari let out a snarl and blocked another attack. The woman smirked, thinking she had won. But she didn't see Roll in his Needle Ball Form come crashing into her from behind.

"The enemy still has..." Yamamoto counted under his breath and weighed each enemy's strength. "They're still around five hundred-strong. And I mean strong. Nothing the guardians can't defeat, but..." Yamamoto let out a low whistle. "That's a lot."

"Kyoya and Lambo are definitely going to go down in history as two men who fought against four whole Mafia families," Chrome said with a smile and a shake of her head. "And Lambo didn't think he would do anything interesting in this life."

Lambo came face-to-face with two Storm users and a Sun user. He hunched over, preparing himself for any strike they might have in store for him. When the Sun user attacked, he attacked with his fists and legs coated with Sun flames. Lambo dodged and blocked, just keeping up with the man. At one point, the man had Lambo's hands locked with his while one of the Storm users shot three bullets at him.

Lambo gave the man a head-butt that had both of them stumbling away from each other just as _two_ bullets slammed into the ground. Lambo discharged Lightning flames at the combo-attack directed at him. When the second Storm user shielded them with a barrier of Storm flames, Lambo let out a manic laugh that broke near the end into a choked sob of either pain or grief.

" _Hey, look at this! Someone other than Bakadera actually uses it as a barrier! It looks almost like his, too!"_ Lambo cackled. He stopped and glared at the man. _"The point is...I've fought against someone way stronger than you, who used a barrier that's deadlier than yours."_

"Glad to know," Gokudera muttered. "And why's he calling me Bakadera? The damned brat."

Chrome laughed. "You look more like a brat than he does, Hayato."

Gokudera's chubby baby cheeks flared red and he crossed his arms. "Tch!"

Lambo sucked in a sharp breath and let out a roar as he recharged his horns with Lightning flames.

"It looks like Lambo is reaching his limit," Yamamoto said.

"He won't go down yet," Gokudera said. "Not when Kyoya's still fighting."

"The same goes both ways." Chrome nodded at Hibari's figure. "Kyoya-kun's not going to stop until they're both dead or out of this alive."

Hibari and Lambo sported injuries all over their bodies. Their clothes tore as they dodged weapons, and their knuckles bruised when they resorted to punching with their fists. And still, they fought.

After beating a suspiciously familiar attack, Hibari's eyes narrowed against his defeated opponent. _"You."_

The man he had faced brightened. _"Yes! Me! Do you remember now?"_

" _I defeated you."_

" _Of course, of course! That was a fantastic fight. This one, too. It's a shame I lost both of them. And you're not even at full strength."_

Hibari examined the fallen man, ignoring the enemies who tried to sneak up on him. Before they got even close enough to attack, Lambo dealt with them.

" _I tore you apart."_

" _Now, that was a very, very bad thing to do, Cloud Guardian,"_ the enemy said with a wave of a metal finger, which caused another volley of Storm flames at Hibari. It was the last move the man made with that hand. _"Ow. Do you know how long it took them to find me?"_

Hibari forced out the last of his Cloud flames to coat his tonfa.

" _And even after that, I almost died from blood loss and infection. I had to stay in bed for five years because you tore out all my tendons and ligaments. A good portion of my muscle, too. They didn't think I'd make it. I lost three of my limbs, thanks to you. High fever, year-long concussion..."_

Mukuro chuckled. "I'm surprised he made it," he said, while the enemy continued to list all the injuries he was treated for after his encounter with Hibari.

"Do people usually survive all that?" Yamamoto asked, looking a little green. "And why does he look so happy to see Kyoya? It's...unnerving."

" _I'm sure you meant to kill me back then—oh, wait. Rumour has it, you rarely kill anyone!"_

Hibari raised one eyebrow while his Cloud flames pulsed. _"Have you looked around?"_

"Kufufufu. I have to hand it to him. That's the perfect line."

" _None of your comrades will be getting up from this."_

" _Y-You don't mean that...?"_

Hibari smiled. Long chains extended from his pair of tonfa.

" _B-Bring the Rainbows out!"_ the man screamed.

"Rainbows?" Yamamoto repeated. "Does this have something do to with the Seven Arcobaleno?"

Hibari took a step closer to the man.

" _How could you? I heard that the Vongola doesn't kill their enemies!"_

 _"Don't know where you heard that from."_

When Lambo laughed, it came out hysterical. _"Come on, Kyoya! Don't scare the poor guy!"_

Gokudera narrowed his eyes and he watched the interaction closely. "There's something...not _wrong_ , really, but...are we missing something? Did this turn into a suicide mission?"

"Kufufufu. Who knows? Maybe it was one from the start," Mukuro suggested.

" _How's your flame level?"_ Hibari asked Lambo.

Lambo wiped sweat from his brow and kicked an enemy away. He knocked out a row of them with his horns and straightened. _"How's yours?"_

"Lambo-kun's not using his flames anymore," Chrome whispered.

Hibari looked around them.

The angels took a look as well. There were a hundred or so left. From the start, they were smart and tried to stay far away from Hibari and his slashing tonfa chains. Now, near the end, they were getting cocky and came closer.

 _"I'll manage. These irritating Herbivores have to go."_

" _The Vongola doesn't do this anymore!"_

" _Hn."_

Lambo said, _"We know what you and your allies planned to do if we let any of you leave. We weren't missing this chance, even if this chance was an ambush."  
_

"Tch." Gokudera crossed his arms. "So they knew it was a trap."

"Shh," Yamamoto said.

" _But Decimo..."_

" _Oh, what's this?"_ Lambo interrupted as he fought off three attackers with a sword he pulled out from a storage box. _"I thought this guy was only in bed for five years."_

" _Sawada Tsunayoshi,"_ Hibari said, _"Is twenty years dead."_ His chains glowed purple with Cloud flames and he raised them.

" _The Rainbow Gun is ready!"_ someone shouted. Every member of the enemy families tried to take cover, though they were all still in Hibari's line of sight.

Chrome, Yamamoto, Mukuro, and Gokudera snapped their heads to the woman who gave order to fire. Chrome gasped. "It's that weapon, Hayato."

With a dozen machine guns surrounding the guardians on all sides, they had nowhere to go when bullets coated in the colours of the rainbow shot out toward them from every angle.

Lambo dropped the sword and bent his head, his Lightning Helm at the ready.

Hibari swung his tonfa, and the deadly chains attached to them soared through the air.

Both struck out at the same time.

And that portion of the city lit up with Flames of the Sky.

* * *

 **A/N:** And that's a wrap. Hibari was very hard to kill, but I wanted to include him and Lambo in the story in some way, so I tried. Oh, not hard as in I was bawling out tears of heartbreak or anything. Hard as in, I couldn't figure out under what circumstances would he actually _die_ by the hands of another person.

At first it was just against two families. But adding Lambo, it didn't seem like a fair fight, so I made it 200 people. Still didn't seem fair, so I went for three families and increased the number and made the enemies stronger in quality and not just quantity. I thought about how Hibari could wipe out 400 of Adeleid's clones with his Vongola Gear and...it escalated to 4 families: 500 strong members plus the not-so-strong members (Whoops. That's a lot). So around...600 enemies, plus (thanks, Sora!) a few months of emotional, mental, and physical stress?

This is what happens when I try to kill off a character whom I find to be impossible to kill and is the strongest of the Vongola Guardians.

...I'm suddenly extremely glad I never had to plan how Tsuna and Mukuro died.

 **Anonymous Reviews:**

 **KK:** I look forward to constructive criticism! Any type, actually. It'll only serve to improve my own writing. Oh Tsuna's definitely going to find out about Diana. I'm glad you're looking forward to that part! It will happen somewhere around...well, when he meets Dino.

 **Guest:** Haha! Reborn's a total badass, for sure.

 **Uploaded 2016-11-04th**

 **Edited 2016-11-06th**

 **2017-03-27 Update:** [FACEPALM] I was rereading this tonight. I skipped over Tsuna finding out about Diana! I can't believe I did that! I'm going to edit ch 13 and 14 so I can do it in ch15.

* * *

 _ **-LLM**_

 **P.S:** This is the last chapter I stockpiled, soooo...yeah. Forget a chapter once a month. Updates shall be SPORADIC! Happy Nanowrimo.


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